Starkville, MS- With the season coming to a close for State, Tennessee showed why they're the favorites to win in Omaha this year, dominating the Bulldogs 27-.
The nation's leader in home runs showed the power right from the get-go with three consecutive bombs from Luc Lipcius, Jordan Beck, and Drew Gilbert. It didn't get any better for Bulldog starter Brandon Smith as the Vols put up a 5-spot in the third, topped off by a 3-run blast from Tennessee DH Blake Burke. After allowing eight runs and eleven hits in just three innings, Smith's day would come to a close.
Sophomore Mikey Tepper held the Vols scoreless in the fourth, but after a string of two walks and three hits in the fifth, Tennessee had extended their lead to 11-0, and Tepper's day would be done. Tennessee kept their foot on the gas in the sixth when Cam Tullar came in, and a 3-run blast from 2nd baseman Jorel Ortego gave the Vols a 2-touchdown lead.
Tennessee exploded for another massive inning in the seventh when true freshman Jack Walker came in to pitch, and he would leave with a pair of runners on after giving up three runs before recording an out, featuring Luc Lipcius' 2nd homer of the game. State brought on another freshman in lefty Cole Cheatham, and the Vols strung together three more hits to extend the lead to 21-0.
For the Vols, sophomore Chase Dollander took the mound and absolutely dominated the Mississippi State lineup. The Georgia Southern transfer showed why he's the country's leader in WHIP as he tossed six no-hit innings, striking out six hitters and walking just one. Dollander had only thrown 67 pitches, but after the Vols' offense kept him in the dugout for 32 minutes in the top of the seventh, he'd be taken out of the game for Mark McLaughlin.
State finally got some offense after a walk by Luke Hancock and the first hit of the day by Logan Tanner, and an RBI single by Hunter Hines gave State finally put the Bulldogs on the board.
Cheatham went back out for the eighth, and the Tennessee offense continued to pack a punch as Ortego blasted his 2nd homer of the night with a man on to extend it to 23-1. It was the seventh homer of the night for the Vols which ties a school record, and the 23 runs allowed by Mississippi State is the most they've allowed in an SEC game since 2009, when Kentucky scored 22.
Tanner Leggett came in to pinch-hit in the eighth to hit a solo homer, and Andrew Walling made just his third appearance of the season in the top of the ninth. Walling had walked five batters in his two innings this season, and that streak continued as he hit the first batter he faced and walked two more. With the bases loaded, Tennessee got back-to-back doubles from Logan Steenstra and Jorel Ortega to put the Vols up 27-2, the most runs State has allowed in a game ever, breaking the record 24 that Florida scored on the Bulldogs in 1966.
In a nutshell, the game was pretty much Mississippi State's season, as the Bulldogs have had the statically worst pitching in the SEC, and the Vols have had the best statistical offense in the nation.
