Georgia survived one of the wildest games of the NCAA tournament so far, erasing a seven-run deficit to defeat Mississippi State 13-12 in a home run-filled Super Regional opener. Georgia is only the second team to overcome a deficit of at least seven runs to win a super regional game after Oregon in 2023.
Here's how the crazy, 11-homer game happened:
Mississippi State struck first in the top of the second when Reed Stallman launched a three-run homer to put the Bulldogs up 3-0.
The offense kept rolling as Ace Reese drove in two more runs before Jacob Parker added an RBI single, capping a six-run inning and giving Mississippi State a commanding 6-0 lead.REED FEEDS THE TREES 💥
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB)
Georgia's bats were quiet early, but Daniel Jackson finally got the Bulldogs on the board in the bottom of the fourth with his 30th home run of the season. The long-ball parade wasn't over, as Rylan Lujo followed later in the inning with a solo shot to cut the deficit to 7-2.
#️⃣3️⃣0️⃣ |
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA)
BACK-TO-BACK 💣 |
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA)
Momentum shifted in the fifth. Georgia plated five runs to pull within two before Michael O'Shaughnessy crushed a two-run homer to even the score at 7-7. Moments later, Kolby Branch ripped a two-RBI double to complete the comeback and give Georgia its first lead of the afternoon.
Mississippi State answered right back in the sixth. Kevin Milewski and Gehrig Frei both went deep to put the Bulldogs back in front, but Lujo wasn't finished. The Georgia outfielder sent another ball over the fence — his second homer of the day — to reclaim a 10-9 lead.
That advantage didn't last long. Ryan Woodson responded with a solo blast of his own, knotting the game at 10-10 as the home run derby continued.
Ace Reese delivered in the top of the eighth, leading off the inning with a solo homer to put Mississippi State back in front, 11-10.
ACE TO DEAD CENTERFIELD. NO-DOUBTER. ♠️
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB)
Michael O'Shaughnessy, who wasn't originally expected to be in the lineup after Tre Phelps was ruled out, came through again for Georgia. If you recall from earlier in the game, he blasted a two-run homer to tie the score at 7-7 and spark the Bulldogs' comeback. Then, with Georgia trailing in the bottom of the eighth, O'Shaughnessy delivered his biggest swing yet — a three-run shot that flipped the game and gave the Bulldogs a 13-12 lead.
O'WOW 🤯 |
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA)
With a one-run lead heading into the ninth, pitcher Justin Byrd put an end to the home run derby, shutting the door on Mississippi State and securing a 13-12 Georgia victory, with two runners on base. Georgia became the first team in the last three NCAA tournaments to overcome a seven-run deficit after teams in that situation had gone 0-149.
