Bleday walks off Mississippi State

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A day after Mississippi State's Elijah MacNamee ended a Nashville Super Regional game with a homer in the ninth, Vandy's J.J. Bleday returned the favor in Game 2 at Charles Hawkins Field in the wee minutes of Sunday morning.

The Vandy right-fielder blasted a solo home run off MSU's Zach Neff in the ninth, sending the Hawkins Field crowd into delirium in a 4-3 win that ended 11 minutes after midnight on Sunday morning, concluding a contest that lasted over four hours.

Bleday, a lefty, connected on a 2-0 fastball, low and away, off State's lefty reliever. It went just out of the reach of MSU center fielder Jake Mangum, exiting the park about 10 feet to the left of the 400-foot marker in center.

"I was looking for something over the plate, something I could put a good swing on, and just see what happens," Bleday said.

The teams play the final game on Sunday at 5 p.m., the winner advancing to the College World Series.

It made a winner of Chandler Day (2-1), who pitched a perfect ninth.

It's the only time the Commodores (35-26) have had a lead all weekend.

A pair of right-handers, Vandy's Mason Hickman and MSU's Jacob Billingsley, will start on the mound for Sunday's winner-take-all contest. Game 3 starts at 5 Central, and will be shown on ESPN2.

The Commodores tied the game the inning before on Ethan Paul's two-out RBI single, which scored Harrison Ray, the evening's unsung hero.

With one out in the eighth, and MSU shortstop Luke Alexander playing towards the third-base side of the bag against a right-handed hitter, Ray, a right-hander, lined a ball through short that hit the artificial turf and quickly rolled to the wall in left center.

It didn't look like a triple off the bat. But Ray flew around second, never hesitated, and beat the throw without much problem.

"Out of the box, I was thinking two," Ray said. "But once I got out of the box and I got to first and saw where Mangum was, I was like, 'I'm getting to third.'"

"He spun it well, and he got it in an area where both outfielders had to chase it, and he's got very good speed. ... He was flying out of the box. His first step was full speed."

Equally responsible was the VU bullpen of Jackson Gillis, Reid Schaller and Day, who combined to hold MSU to no runs, three hits and one walk, with four strikeouts, in five innings.

"It felt like we were playing uphill a bit, but, it felt like the turning point in the momentum part of the game when Gillis came in and was able to get through the innings," VU coach Tim Corbin said.

And boy, was it needed after a rocky start.

Vandy starter Patrick Raby got in a first-inning jam after Mangum and Rowdey Jordan singled on two of the game's first four pitches. But Raby struck out Tanner Allen, then, caught Mangum leaning the wrong way off second and started a 1-4-5 pickoff for out two, before MacNamee grounded to shortstop Connor Kaiser.

He wasn't able to wiggle out of similar trouble in the second, walking third baseman Justin Foscue and giving up a single to the .204-hitting Alexander before a sacrifice moved each up.

With two outs, Mangum lined the first pitch to center for the game's first two runs.

Vanderbilt got its first run when center fielder Austin Martin doubled into the left-field corner with one out, then came around when catcher Stephen Scott scorched a single to center.

No. 9 hitter Jordan Westburg rolled a double to the wall off Raby with two outs in the fourth, scoring Alexander.

Until the very end, it seemed enough runs would never come for the Commodores, who left 10 men on base and never got more than one in an inning.

Vandy's best scoring chance in the fifth, an inning where the 'Dores failed to score.

First baseman Julian Infante lined a single to center to lead off, and Martin followed with a single. But Infante tried to take third and Mangum easily threw him out from center. Scott walked, but Bleday popped to second and Kaiser struck out swinging.

Vanderbilt chased starter Konnor Pilkington after 101 pitches in the sixth when Philip Clarke singled to center. Ray singled off right-hander Keegan James, and Clarke scored when pinch-hitter Ty Duvall grounded a single up the middle, pulling Vandy within a run.

Martin then walked to load the bases, and MSU went to right-hander Neff, who fanned Scott on three pitches.

Left fielder Pat DeMarco lined hard to left to start the eighth, but Paul's two-out single tied things.

Scott struck out to lead off the ninth before Bleday blasted a pitch to center. It would have been a tough play for Mangum, the center fielder on the league's all-defensive team, to make a play anyway. But the ball was hit hard enough that Mangum lacked just enough time to make a realistic play on the ball.

"(It was) J.J. just putting a good swing on a breaking ball," Corbin said. "He did something every young kid grows up thinking about doing.

"It was a big moment. I've been here 16 years. I've never seen a stadium like that."

Bleday, who missed seven full weekends of conference play due to an oblique injury, hit his first home run since the Houston game on March 4.

But it wasn't without warning.

The sophomore lined to right in the first, and in another at-bat, yanked a pitch out of the yard, but well right of the foul pole in right.

"I've never, ever, had that happen before," said Bleday, when asked if he'd won a game with a home run before.

Vanderbilt started the same nine hitters it did on Friday and in the same order, except for flipping Paul (eighth on Saturday) and Ray (seventh).

VU didn't retire MSU in order from the fourth inning of Friday's game until the ninth of Saturday's, excepting a 6-4-3 double play in the sixth.

The Commodores didn't get the leadoff man on until Infante singled to lead off the fifth.

Schaller sat 97-98 with his fastball.

Duvall pinch-hit for Infante in the sixth. Martin, who started in center, moved to first, Duvall stayed in to catch and Scott moved to left.

MSU hit into three 1-6-3 outs.

Attendance was 3,626, making the 112th sellout at Hawkins Field.

MSU 2: Mangum single to center scored Foscue, Alexander. MSU 2-0

VU 3: Scott single to center scored Martin. MSU 2-1

MSU 4: Westburg double to left-center scored Alexander. MSU 3-1

VU 6: Duvall single up the middle scored Clarke. MSU, 3-2

VU 8: Paul single to center scored Ray. Tied-3

VU 9: Bleday home run to center. VU, 4-3