Top of the 8th

Bottom of the 7th

Powell flies out to center field, one down.

Long pops out, two down.

Chance will reach on a throwing error.

Mershon works a walk.

Hujsak walks to load the bases.

Jordan strikes out to end the inning.

MSU trails 4-1.

Top of the 7th

Gavin Black is the new Bulldog pitcher.

Black issues a walk.

Hines flips it to Larry. Runner on second, one down.

Vandy adds to their lead with an RBI single.

Black gets a strikeout, two down.

Black gets a strikeout for the third out.

Bottom of the 6th

Hujsak splits the gap in left field for a double.

Jordan strikes out, one down.

Kohler pops out, two down.

Larry rips an RBI single into center field,

Hines strikes out to end the inning.

MSU trails 3-1.

i

Top of the 6th

Cijntje gets a strikeout, one down.

Hines steps on the bag, two down.

Larry throws to Cijntje for the third out.

Bottom of the 5th

Powell grounds out to the third baseman, one down.

Long grounds out to the pitcher, two down.

Chance works a walk.

Mershon grounds out to third base to end the inning.

MSU trails 3-0.

Top of the 5th

Cijntje issues a leadoff walk.

Hewett grounds a single into right field. Runners on the corners.

A run will score on a wild pitch.

Hujsak makes the grab, one down. Runner on third.

Mershon throws to Long, who tags the runner heading home, two down.

Cijntje throws to Hines for the third out.

Bottom of the 4th

Jordan flies out to center field, one down.

Kohler beats the shift for a one-out single.

Larry lines out to center field, two down.

Hines strikes out to end the inning.

MSU trails 2-0.

Top of the 4th

Cijntje gets a strikeout, one down.

Another strikeout for Cijntje, two down.

Polk drops a single into right field.

Nine strikeouts now for Cijntje as he strikes out the side.

Bottom of the 3rd

Chance pops out to the first baseman, one down.

Mershon grounds out to the second baseman, two down.

Hujsak strikes out to end the inning.

MSU trails 2-0.

Top of the 3rd

Holcomb grounds a single into center field.

Rodgers reaches on a bunt. Runners on first and second.

Cijntje throws to Larry, one down.

Cijntje hits the batter with a pitch to load the bases.

Diaz lines a single into left field, and two runners score.

MSU turns a 6-4-3 double play.

Bottom of the 2nd

Larry pops out to the shortstop, one down.

Hines pops out to the catcher, two down.

Powell lines a single into left field.

Long strikes out to end the inning.

Tied at zero.

Top of the 2nd

Another strikeout for Cijntje, one down.

Cijntje up to five strikeouts, two down.

Once again, Cijntje strikes out the side.

Bottom of the 1st

Chance strikes out looking, one down.

Mershon grounds a single into right field.

Hujsak is hit by the pitch.

Jordan strikes out on three pitches, two down.

Kohler strikes out to end the inning.

Tied at zero.

Top of the 1st

Cijntje gets a strikeout, one down.

Another strikeout for Cijntje, two down.

Cijntje strikes out the side.

Mississippi State Lineup

LF Bryce Chance 

SS David Mershon 

CF Connor Hujsak

RF Dakota Jordan

3B Logan Kohler 

2B Amani Larry

1B Hunter Hines 

DH Joe Powell

C Johnny Long

SP Jurrangelo Cijntje 

Vanderbilt Lineup

SS Jonathan Vastine

3B Davis Diaz

2B RJ Austin

C Alan Espinal 

DH Colin Barci 

RF Matthew Polk

1B Braden Holcomb

LF JD Rodgers

CF Calvin Hewett

 SP JD Thompson 

From Hattiesburg Police Department Public Information Office

FLOWOOD, Miss. (WDAM) – A Hattiesburg police officer was recognized for saving a baby’s life and honored Wednesday at the 2024 Mississippi Public Safety Summit.

Hattiesburg Police Department Lt. Joe Kennedy was one of two law enforcement officers to receive recognition with a “First Responder of the Year Award.”

Kennedy was recognized for his life-saving emergency medical care to a baby at a restaurant in Petal on Jan. 23, 2023.

Gov. Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Sean Tindell presented this year’s Governor’s Public Safety Awards.

The Public Safety Awards recognize those who were outstanding in their efforts to serve and protect residents across the state.

Kennedy and Flowood Police Department Officer Will Brantley were both designated as First Responder of the Year.

Brantley came to the aid of a choking baby while on shift in his patrol car on Oct. 6, 2023.

“Let me say this as clearly as possible,” Reeves said. “Lt. Kennedy and Officer Brantley are both heroes. Their actions saved the lives of two babies.

I’m incredibly thankful that God placed good men such as Lt. Kennedy and Officer Brantley in the right place at the right time. Their actions forever changed the lives of those children, as well as their families. That will never be forgotten, and our entire state is grateful to them.”

The winners of the safety awards are selected by Reeves based on candidate nominations by their peers in the public safety realm.

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The Diamond Dawgs are getting hot, and they might have some magic in them. For the second-straight night, Mississippi State baseball pulled off a thrilling victory in the 9th inning, with the same player coming through when needed.

MSU battled with 4-seed Texas A&M for eight innings, with the game tied at three. With two outs in the top of the 9th, Connor Hujsak drove in a pair of runs to put State up 5-3. Tyler Davis would get three quick outs to end to the game and advance the Bulldogs in the winner’s bracket.

Mississippi State is now 38-19 on the season.

One of the biggest critiques from State fans this season has been the lack of clutch hitting from the Bulldogs. When they’ve been in a key moment, needing a run, and have baserunners on, no one in the lineup has shown the ability to consistently come through.

That is, until Connor Hujsak stepped up.

Fresh off of emphatically ending his rival’s season, Hujsak once again stepped to the plate with two outs in the 9th inning with the pressure on him to deliver. Consecutive hit by pitches and a throwing error had the bases loaded for State in a 3-3 game. They just needed someone to drive them home.

And Mr. Clutch himself was up for the task. Hujsak drove a single through the middle of the infield, bringing in the winning runs for the Bulldogs.

MSU has found its guy they can rely on in the big moments, and that makes them all the more dangerous in the postseason.

The story of the season for Mississippi State baseball has been the turnaround of their pitching staff. First-year pitching coach Justin Parker has worked wonders with the group, taking them from one of the SEC’s worst a year ago to being amongst the league’s best.

That showed Wednesday night against Texas A&M’s powerful lineup.

Starter Khal Stephen didn’t have his usual dominant stuff, but he still entered the 6th inning having allowed just one run. A walk and a single put a pair on, and he was pulled for Tyson Hardin. The Aggies managed to get those runs home to tie the game at three, but Hardin limited the damage.

The final three innings of work by MSU’s staff was shutdown. Nate Dohm and Tyler Davis allowed just one combined hit, no walks, and no runs, with Davis getting the save in the bottom of the 9th to secure the win.

The Aggies had just five hits on the night, and their three biggest bats went a combined 1-10. Pitching wins in the postseason, and State has it.

If MSU wanted to host a regional, they needed two wins in Hoover at a minimum. They’ve achieved that, and now, they’ll almost certainly see another weekend at Dudy Noble Field. State’s back into the Top-20 of the RPI and now owns 16 Q1 wins, third most of any team.

This morning’s update from Baseball America, who has been lower on State as a host, was a positive one. They have MSU as the #15 national seed, hosting Arizona, Georgia Tech, and Nicholls State in Starkville.

The Diamond Dawgs will look to improve their positioning tonight against Vanderbilt. First pitch is set for approximately 8:00 pm CT, and you can watch on the SEC Network.