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On a day when SEC teams were losing their Super Regional openers, Mississippi State took the opposite tack: They relatively easily and thoroughly defeated a very good Virginia team. The Bulldogs cranked out 20 hits and took advantage of four errors and three walks in an 11-6 win.
The Bulldogs scored in every inning except the second, seventh and ninth. After regaining the lead with a two-run third inning, Mississippi State never again trailed or even found themselves in a tie. And in something of a change, State relied on just two pitchers -- Kendall Graveman and Ross Mitchell (of course) -- to get the win, giving the rest of the staff plenty of time to rest to prepare for the next one or two games.
All of which backs up the notion that it could be a good weekend for the Bulldogs. We got a reminder on Saturday of just how important it is to take the first game, particularly for the road team.
Over the last 4 years, the team that took Game 1 of the NCAA baseball super regional won the series 25 of 32 times.
— Jason Lieser (@PBPjasonlieser) June 8, 2013
That doesn't mean that Mississippi State is a sure thing. But it does mean that the Bulldogs go into Sunday with a better chance than a lot of other teams. Vanderbilt and South Carolina would gladly trade places with them.