Mississippi State in Super Regional for third straight year
Published 4:17 pm Monday, June 4, 2018
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — JP France held Oklahoma to two hits over seven innings, and Mississippi State advanced to a NCAA Tournament Super Regional for the third straight year as it defeated the Sooners 8-1 on Monday in the deciding game of the Tallahassee Regional.
It is the second straight season the Bulldogs (35-26) have dropped their first game in a regional and then won the next four to advance. They will face Vanderbilt, which won the Clemson Regional, in a best-of-three Super Regional.
France (5-5) allowed one run along with having two walks and five strikeouts. The senior right-hander didn’t allow the Sooners to get a hit until the fourth when Brady Lindsly singled.
Justin Foscue, who was one of three Mississippi State players with two hits, had a two-run double in the fifth to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. They broke it open with a four-run ninth, which included a two-run shot by Jake Mangum.
Riley Self pitched the final two innings for his first save.
Lindsly accounted for the Sooners’ (38-25) run in the second. He reached first on an errant third strike and scored on a grounder by Justin Mitchell for the second out.
Oklahoma starter Levi Prater (3-4) went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits.