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Not since South Carolina won in 2010 and 2011 has a team won the Men’s College World Series in consecutive tournaments.
Vanderbilt is one win away from making history and becoming the sixth team to achieve the feat. Mississippi State, on the other hand, now hopes to take two straight from the Commodores to finally reach the peak of the college baseball world and win the program’s first national championship.
The Bulldogs had a promising start Monday, taking an early 1-0 lead, but a seven-run spot in the bottom half of the first inning gave Vanderbilt and starting pitcher Jack Leiter all they needed to claim the first game of the series.
Mississippi State won’t have to worry about Leiter on Tuesday. Kumar Rocker pitched Friday, so he will either be pitching on short rest or be held until an as-needed Game 3 appearance Wednesday. And the the Bulldogs know their bullpen is capable of shutting down the Commodores after allowing just one run and two hits over the final seven innings of the game on Monday.
The Commodores might be ahead in the series, but it is way too early to count out Mississippi State. It will be Christian Little on the mound for Vanderbilt against Houston Harding for Mississippi State.
MORE: Watch College World Series action on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
College World Series finals live updates, highlights from Game 2
10:27 p.m.: Reilly gets Forsythe swinging for the second out of the inning. Jordan now up to bat with two runners in scoring position.
10:26 p.m. Mississippi State scoring play: Wild pitch by Reilly scores a run and moves two more base runners into scoring position. Mississippi State extends lead to 5-1.
10:24 p.m.: Clark walks and the bases are loaded again.
10:21 p.m.: Young fields the slow roller and shovels it over to third base to get the force out. Runners on first and second still with one out.
10:19 p.m.: Foul ball. Cumbest back in the batter’s box with a 1-2 count.
10:15 p.m.: Cumbest swings at a pitch that hits him in the shoulder on a 1-2 count. Question is whether he fouled the ball off. Umpires reviewing the play. If it didn’t hit the bat, it will be a strikeout and a swing and a miss.
10:11 p.m. Mississippi State scoring play.: Dubrule bounces a base hit off the foot of Reilly that deflects into right for a base hit, scoring two more baserunners. Still two on and no one out with Brad Cumbest up to bat. Mississippi State extends lead to 4-1.
10:07 p.m. Mississippi State scoring play: Little watches Allen on four pitches to bring in a run and give the Bulldogs the lead. He’s walked three straight batters and Tim Corbin is coming out to bring in Reilly. Mississippi State takes a 2-1 lead.
10:04 p.m.: Little has now issued his second straight walk, this time to Hancock, to load up the bases with nobody out. A visit to the mound by the pitching coach as Patrick Reilly warms up in the bullpen for Vanderbilt.
10:00 p.m.: James walks on a full count pitch well outside the zone to put two runners on with no one out. That brings in Hancock, who drove in the opening run of this game in the first inning.
9:58 p.m.: Allen gets a quick read on a ball in the dirt and is able to beat a throw down to second base by Rodriguez to be safe at the bag. Now a runner in scoring position and a 3-0 count for James.
9:56 p.m.: Groundball by Allen to shortstop gets stuck in the webbing of Young’s glove and Allen is able to reach base to leadoff the inning. It’s being ruled a hit.
9:53 p.m. End Top Third: Young grounds into a forceout to third to end the Vanderbilt half of the third. Bulldogs batting with Allen, James and Hancock due up.
9:50 p.m.: Bradfield flies out to center. Two out with a runner still on first.
9:48 p.m.: Gonzalez walks to give Vanderbilt a baserunner with one away in the top of third inning for Bradfield.
9:43 p.m. End of Second: Jordan grounds out to strand a runner at third base. Commodores back up to bat in the third in a tie game at one apiece.
9:42 p.m.: Flyout to right moves Clark up to third base with two outs now for the top of the order.
9:39 p.m.: Kellum Clark nearly goes yard, but bounces a double off the right field wall. Runner in scoring position for the Bulldogs with only one out.
9:35 p.m. End Top Second: Javier Vaz flies out to center on the second pitch he sees, but the damage is done as the Commodores strike right back to knot this game up at one.
9:34 p.m. Vanderbilt scoring play: CJ Rodriguez lifts a high fly to left field that carries out over the wall to tie up the game. Vanderbilt ties the game 1-1.
9:29 p.m. End of First: Little gets Scotty Dubrule to swing and miss on a breaking ball to strand a pair of runners on first and second. But the Bulldogs take a 1-0 lead early in Game 2.
9:25 p.m.: Logan Tanner walks on four pitches to put runners on first and second. Little already up to 21 pitches in the first inning.
9:23 p.m. Mississippi State scoring play: That error comes back to bite Vanderbilt. Luke Hancock singles to right field and the throw misses the cutoff man, allowing James to score from first. Second straight game he’s scored in the first inning to put the Bulldogs out in front. Mississippi State takes a 1-0 lead.
9:21 p.m.: Throwing error by Jayson Gonzalez allows Kamren James to reach first base with two away.
9:19 p.m.: Little picks up his first strikeout of the game, catching the corner to get Tanner Allen looking for the second out.
9:17 p.m.: Christian Little starts Rowdey Jordan 3-0, but throws back-to-back strikes, the latter of the two Jordan flied out to center field.
9:14 p.m. End Top First: Harding blows a fastball by Dominic Keegan to retire the side.
9:11 p.m.: Houston Harding throws the next three pitches in for strikes and Bradfield goes down on strikes for the first out of the game. Carter Young grounds out on the second pitch he sees for two outs in the first inning.
9:10 p.m.: High fastball to Enrique Bradfield Jr. to start the game.
9:01 p.m.: Less than 10 minutes now from the start of Game 2 of the 2021 College World Series.
8:45 p.m.: The tarp is coming off the field at TD Ameritrade Park.
8:30 p.m.: The College World Series will be starting up at 9:10 p.m. ET.
8:21 p.m.: The start of Game 2 continues to remain without an official time due to the weather delay. A recent report from the Lincoln Journal Star says that members of the grounds crew are out on the field.
No updates from the NCAA yet. A few grounds crew members on the field at the moment.
— Luke Mullin (@lmullin7) June 30, 2021
7:26 p.m.: There’s still no update yet as to when the College World Series will resume. According to the Weather Channel, thunderstorms will end around 7:30 p.m., so it should not be too far off from starting up.
6:46 p.m.: For the second straight day, the College World Series will begin in a weather delay.
6:40 p.m.: Here’s a look at how the lineups are going to be for the second game of the College World Series finals.
How to watch 2021 College World Series finals Game 2
ESPN continues its coverage of the College World Series with the second game of the series set to air on ESPN. ESPN2 will show the third game of the series, should Mississippi State even up the series Tuesday.
Viewers will also be able to stream the College World Series finals on ESPN+ or fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial.
College World Series schedule, scores
Monday, June 28
Score |
Vanderbilt 8, Mississippi State 2 |
Tuesday, June 29
Game | Time (Channel) |
Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State | 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) |
Wednesday, June 30
Game | Time (Channel) |
Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State (if necessary) | 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2) |