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Once again, it's proving dangerous to face Mississippi State in Hoover. The latest team to learn that lesson is Texas A&M, which got dropped by the Bulldogs on Thursday night to put the Aggies on the brink of elimination and Mississippi State on the edge of a second straight SEC tournament title.
In many ways, it was the prototypical Mississippi State game, at least when it came to the mound. The Bulldogs relievers pitched a bare majority of the game (4.2 innings) and didn't allow a run. Combined with the three errors by the Aggies and a total of four runs in the fourth and fifth innings alone, it was more than enough for a 6-4 win.
Mississippi State grabs the valuable Friday bye and will wait for the winner of Vanderbilt-Texas A&M in the semifinals. That will be an elimination game for the Aggies, who will face Vanderbilt for the second time in the tournament. Another win would likely give A&M a ticket to the NCAA playoff, but a loss could make it a long wait for TAMU.