Missed Opportunities Haunt Mississippi State in Loss to Virginia

The margin of error is always tight in baseball, but missed opportunities get magnified in the postseason. Mississippi State left runs and outs on the field in their loss to Virginia.

Jurrangelo Cijntje drew the start for the Bulldogs and pitched well. However, Virginia drew first blood in the winner's bracket matchup as Cavalier third baseman Eric Becker gave his team a lead with a two-RBI triple.

Surprisingly, State answered in the next half-inning as David Mershon and Dakota Jordan singled, bringing the slumping Hunter Hines to the plate. The Madison, Miss. came up big as he smashed a 446-foot home run to center field to give State a 3-2 lead.

MSU added to their lead in the fourth as junior Bryce Chance, who reached on an infield single, scored from second base after a pickoff attempt went into center field. The Bulldogs had all the momentum, and Cijntje was dealing.

The sophomore flame thrower pitched four consecutive scoreless innings, and despite threatening, the Bulldog offense could not add more runs. Stranding runners with a lead seems harmless until the momentum flips.

State had a pair of runners on in the top of the seventh, and Jordan at the plate with two outs. The UVA crowd was looking for something to cheer about, and they got it as Jordan struck out to end the Bulldog threat.

That momentum carried into the bottom of the inning as the Cavaliers would tie the game, thanks again to Becker, who got a two-RBI single. Cijntje bore down and kept it at a tie game; the ambidextrous pitcher faced one of the best lineups in the nation, worked seven innings, and made two mistakes.

The Bulldogs had two runners on base in the eighth inning but once again wasted it as designated hitter Aaron Downs struck out looking to end the threat. Once again, Mershon and Jordan reached in the ninth, but Hines could not deliver a second time as he grounded out to second base for the third out.

Tyson Hardin took over on the mound for Cijntje in the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning but ran into trouble in the ninth. The senior pitcher gave up a leadoff double and issued a walk.

However, he got a groundout for the first out. Runners were on the corners with one out, but the Dover, Fla. native is a groundball specialist. Hardin did get a groundball to second baseman Amani Larry, but he could not field it cleanly, and the Cavaliers walked it off.

It was a challenging play, but if the Bossier City, La. native fields it cleanly, it is likely a double play that ends the inning. However, Larry should not be blamed solely for the loss, as the Bulldog offense stranded nine runners, including six in the final three innings.

Mississippi State had every opportunity to win this game but failed to take advantage of their chances, while Virginia capitalized on every one of them. The Bulldogs take on St John's tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN+.