Mississippi State beats Vanderbilt for first College World Series title

OMAHA, Neb. (UPI) — The Mississippi State Bulldogs captured their first national championship with a dominant 9-0 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores in the deciding third game of the College World Series finals Wednesday at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. Bulldogs starter Will Bednar, who was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player, walked three of the first five batters he faced before retiring 15 consecutive Vanderbilt hitters. He then turned the ball over to star closer Landon Sims to start the seventh, as the pair combined on a one-hitter in the victory. The Commodores broke up the Bulldogs’ no-hitter when Carter Young singled to center with one out in the eighth inning. It was the first one-hitter at the CWS since 2014. Luke Hancock put the Bulldogs in front 1-0 with a sacrifice fly in the opening frame. Mississippi State added two more runs in the second when Lane Forsythe scored Scotty Dubrule on a fielder’s choice and Rowdey Jordan doubled home Brayland Skinner. In the fifth inning, Logan Tanner and Hancock each had RBI singles to boost the Bulldogs’ lead to 5-0. Tanner’s solo home run and Kellum Clark’s three-run shot in the seventh gave Mississippi State a 9-0 lead and put the game out of reach. The national title is the first in any team sport for Mississippi State (50-18), and it came in the Bulldogs’ 12th appearance in the College World Series. Only Florida State (23) and Clemson (12) have been to the CWS at least as many times without earning a championship. Vanderbilt was attempting to win a second straight College World Series title and third since 2014. The Commodores won the 2019 tournament before the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reporting by Connor Grott