College Baseball World Series 2019: Vanderbilt, Mississippi State Win on Sunday
June 16, 2019
Day 2 from the 2019 College World Series features the bottom half of the bracket getting in on the action.
Michigan and Florida State won Saturday, sending them to the winner's portion of the bracket and moving them one step closer to the championship series. Texas Tech and Arkansas will square off Monday afternoon trying to keep their title hopes alive.
Sunday features three of the nation's best teams in action, including a marquee showdown between Vanderbilt and Louisville.
College World Series Scores
Game 3: Vanderbilt def. Louisville, 3-1
Game 4: Mississippi State def. Auburn, 5-4
Vanderbilt 3, Louisville 1
Austin Martin carried Vanderbilt to a 3-1 victory over Louisville in the College World Series opener for both teams.
The Commodores' third baseman hit two homers and drove in all three runs for the SEC champions. His two-run shot off Louisville reliever Bryan Hoeing in the bottom of the seventh broke a 1-1 tie.
With Martin providing the offensive spark, Vanderbilt got a dominant pitching performance from Drake Fellows. The San Diego Padres' sixth-round draft pick allowed one run and seven hits with six strikeouts over seven innings.
The Cardinals wasted their best scoring opportunity of the game in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with one out after tying the score at one, but the rally was foiled when Tyler Fitzgerald fouled out and Alex Binelas grounded out.
Louisville was held to two hits and two walks and didn't have a runner advance past second over the final four innings.
Reid Detmers, who entered the game with just 27 walks in 107.1 innings, struggled to find his control. The sophomore issued a career-high six free passes over 5.2 innings of work for the Cardinals.
Vanderbilt advances to the winner's side of the field and can clinch a spot in the bracket two final with a victory Tuesday.
Louisville must now win out if it wants to reach the championship series for the first time in school history.
Mississippi State 5, Auburn 4
Mississippi State scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to shock Auburn for a walk-off win in the SEC battle.
The Tigers appeared ready for an easy victory with a three-run lead and just three outs remaining, but a couple of doubles helped the Bulldogs cut the lead to two. Auburn then had several chances to get out of the inning on ground balls but couldn't get it done in the field:
Marshall Gilbert was credited with the walk-off RBI single.
Edouard Julien was responsible for the error at third base that could've sealed the win for Auburn.
Of course, prior to the final inning it was Julien who was the star for the Tigers. A two-run home run in the second and an RBI single in the fourth helped the squad take the early lead.
The team's No. 7 hitter finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Though the Tigers only had six total hits as a team, they were able to get their runs in to get an early lead. With starter Jack Owen allowing only one run in five innings, it appeared Mississippi State's dangerous lineup was going to be held in check.
However, the Bulldogs continued to fight back, beginning with a Jake Mangum double and several big hits down the stretch. The late drama gave Mississippi State the victory and potentially shifted the entire College World Series.
Meanwhile, Auburn is now one loss away from elimination and will face Louisville on Tuesday with its season on the line.