OMAHA, Neb. — Jack Dougherty knew for twenty-four hours he would get the ball for Mississippi in Sport 1 of the School World Collection finals Saturday evening, and he didn’t need to jinx himself.
“I attempted not to consider it an excessive amount of,” he mentioned. “I wished to go on the market and be myself. I came upon yesterday I used to be beginning. My mother obtained mad at me as a result of I didn’t inform her. I didn’t need to get into my very own head. I wished to go on the market and pitch.”
Oh, he pitched.
Dougherty carried an ideal recreation into the sixth inning in his first begin in almost three months, the Rebels broke issues open with three house runs in a row within the eighth, they usually went on to beat Oklahoma 10-3.
Mississippi (41-23) can safe its first nationwide title in baseball with a victory this afternoon. Oklahoma (45-23) should win to tie the best-of-three finals and pressure a deciding recreation Monday.
Rebels coach Mike Bianco mentioned he’ll repeat the identical message he delivered to his gamers Saturday.
“Go for it,” he mentioned he informed them. “You’re right here to win a nationwide championship collection, you need to be right here and it’s time to press the gasoline pedal.”
Oklahoma sputtered early, and with Dougherty in a groove along with his fastball and slider, the Rebels seized momentum early. When Dougherty obtained in hassle within the sixth and left with the bases loaded and no outs, freshman Mason Nichols was there to restrict the harm.
“I had loads of butterflies,” Nichols mentioned. “The largest factor was coaches have been ok to belief me and put me in conditions earlier within the 12 months in a giant surroundings. I targeted on my job and I’m glad I obtained it performed.”
TJ McCants, Calvin Harris and Justin Bench hit back-to-back-to-back homers off Chazz Martinez to make it a six-run recreation within the eighth. It was the primary time a staff had hit three house runs in a row on the CWS since LSU did it in opposition to Mississippi State in 1998.
“We had been getting beat in each facet of the sport till the sixth inning and we nonetheless had an opportunity to come back again and win,” OU first baseman Blake Robertson mentioned. “It’s an unlucky loss, but it surely doesn’t outline us as a staff.”
Tim Elko additionally went deep for Mississippi and completed 4-for-5 after getting into the sport 3-for-16 with seven strikeouts within the CWS.
Dougherty (4-3) took the mound with a lead within the first inning after the Rebels capitalized on OU starter Jake Bennett’s two wild pitches and error to go up 2-0.
With Mississippi brief on beginning pitching due to the newly condensed CWS schedule, Bianco went with Dougherty in opposition to an OU offense recognized for extending at-bats and dealing pitch counts. Dougherty was the most suitable choice out there, Bianco mentioned, as a result of he reliably kilos the strike zone and will get forward of batters.
Dougherty turned the primary pitcher in Charles Schwab Subject’s 11-year historical past to retire 15 batters in a row to start out a recreation. Dougherty by no means had a 1-2-3 inning in his different three begins this season.
The sophomore right-hander struck out 5 in a row over the third and fourth innings and obtained a giant defensive play from shortstop Jacob Gonzalez to maintain the proper recreation alive within the fifth.
Jackson Nicklaus broke it up with a single to heart main off the sixth and Sebastian Orduno adopted with a base hit. Kendall Pettis bunted for a single, and Nicklaus scored on third baseman Garrett Wooden’s wild throw to first. That ended Dougherty’s streak of 17 straight shutout innings.
Dougherty left after he walked John Spikerman to load the bases with no outs.
Nichols struck out Peyton Graham and Blake Robertson earlier than strolling Tanner Tredaway to herald a run. Jimmy Crooks grounded out to finish the inning.
“I believed that was the baseball recreation there,” Bianco mentioned.
Bennett (10-4), who had received his earlier six begins, struck out 10 and walked none in 6 1/3 innings however couldn’t overcome his early management issues.
The lefty threw three wild pitches within the first two innings after throwing three in his first 110 2/3 innings this season, and all of them led to Mississippi runs.
“They took the momentum from the start of the sport,” OU coach Skip Johnson mentioned. “We’ve obtained to be taught our lesson from right this moment and transfer on.”