Mississippi State dominates Northeastern to advance in Tallahassee Regional

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Okay, Mississippi State may officially be on the radar now as one of the hottest teams in the first-round games of the NCAA Tournament.

Don't start making a lot of long-range plans, though.

The surging Bulldogs delivered a statement win Friday night, defeating the Northeastern Huskies 11-2 in the opening round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s Tallahassee Regional.

State not only snapped Northeastern’s remarkable 27-game winning streak but also propelled the Bulldogs into the winner’s bracket, setting up a marquee matchup with host Florida State.

Things will get more difficult really quickly for State

Both teams entered the regional with a lot of momentum. Mississippi State had finished the regular season on a 9-2 run, while Northeastern boasted the nation’s longest win streak and the top-ranked pitching staff, leading NCAA Division I in ERA, shutouts, and strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Their ace, Will Jones, carried an unblemished 11-0 record and a 1.82 ERA, making him one of the most dangerous arms in the tournament.

The Bulldogs may have noticed, but didn't duck and hide. After a quiet first inning, the Bulldogs erupted for seven runs over the second and third frames, knocking Jones out of the game after just 2.2 innings.

It was his shortest and least effective outing of the season.

The bottom of the order led the charge with Joe Powell driving in four runs on a double and a home run and Gatlin Sanders adding three RBIs with clutch hits.

Bryce Chance continued his torrid stretch at the plate, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and a double, extending his hitting streak to 18 games.

“I’m just really proud of these guys,” said interim coach Justin Parker. “We felt like we’ve had our backs against the wall for a month now and that’s the kind of baseball we’ve been playing.

"It was nice to do that against a really good opponent. I thought it was complete in all three phases.”

The pitching matchup drew attention before the game, as Parker opted to start Ben Davis, who had made just three starts all season and was primarily a reliever.

The decision, as Parker later revealed, was “health-related,” hinting at possible concerns with one of the team’s top arms.

Davis responded by scattering five hits and two runs over five innings, settling in after early trouble and keeping the Huskies’ offense off balance.

“I kind of self-inflicted myself, but other than that I felt like I did pretty good,” Davis said later.

Freshman Ryan McPherson took over in the sixth and delivered four scoreless, hitless innings, striking out three and walking one, a strong bounce-back after a tough SEC Tournament outing.

The Bulldogs’ staff held Northeastern to just two runs, a feat few teams had managed all year.

With the win, Mississippi State (35-21) advances to face Florida State, who dispatched Bethune-Cookman 6-2 in their opener.

The Seminoles are expected to start their ace, Jamie Arnold, a projected top-5 MLB draft pick, presenting another stiff challenge for the Bulldogs.

Parker has not yet announced his starting pitcher, citing ongoing health evaluations within the staff.

“They’re a good team but we’re going to come out ready to play,” said Powell. “We’re going to get our game plan together and get our scouting reports. We’re going to go execute it and put our best foot forward to go win that game.”

Bryce Chance continued an 18-game hitting streak going 4-for-5 with an RBI double. Joe Powell was 2-for-5 with a double, homer and four RBI.

Mississippi State now will have to face host Florida State in could be another super-charged challenge.

The Bulldogs will face the Seminoles at 5 p.m. in a game broadcast on ESPN2.

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