OmaGoodness!

OMAHA, Neb. – It don't matter.

Those three words are written on the glove of Mississippi State right fielder Tanner Allen. Anytime things aren't going so well for himself or the team, Allen can take a glimpse down, read the inscription and be reminded that the past is in the past.

Headed into the eighth inning on Tuesday night in its College World Series game against Virginia, Mississippi State was hitless. The Bulldogs were in a 4-0 hole and hope was fading. Then, in the blink of an eye…it don't matter.

Allen's go-ahead, three-run homer was the big blow as MSU pulled off a comeback for the ages and ultimately went on to defeat the Cavaliers 6-5. State now sits just one win away from the College World Series Finals.

What a turn of events it was to get the Bulldogs to this point. State's late rally that played out more like a Hollywood script than a baseball game has now put MSU in the driver's seat in Omaha. So what that seven innings were tough. It don't matter.

"I know this sounds crazy but the ability to take a punch and keep playing is one of our greatest assets we have," Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said postgame. "We've taken punches all year long. We take punches -- that's one thing in our league and playing against the best every weekend is, man, you get knocked back and you've got to stand up and fight. And our kids, that's what they do."

For a long while on Tuesday, it was the Bulldogs getting the fight taken to them. Virginia starting pitcher Griff McGarry was masterful, keeping MSU scoreless and hitless over the first 7 1/3. The Cavaliers had given McGarry some cushion, too, with a first-inning run and three more in the second.

Virginia couldn't put State away though. MSU's relief corps put up zero after zero to keep thoughts of a comeback alive. In the eighth, the magic happened.

Now perhaps you'd think it was one of the veterans, Allen or Rowdey Jordan, sparking State back to life. You'd be wrong. It was Bulldog pup Kellum Clark, on the biggest stage he's played on in his life, showing he's growing up in a hurry.

After a Scotty Dubrule walk, Clark drilled a no-doubt two-run shot over the right-field wall to cut the Virginia lead in half at 4-2. Clark's blast not only broke up McGarry's no-hitter and shutout, it sent a clear message through the State dugout. All that had happened up to that point well, once again, it don't matter.

"Kellum has a big swing, hits the home run. We got on the board and we got the monkey off our back as a team," Allen said.

The party was only just getting started. Next on the invitation list? The three Bulldogs that might as well have a permanent summer vacation residence up in Omaha. Josh Hatcher, Jordan and Allen have played three full seasons in their careers. All three of those campaigns have led them to the College World Series. Because of what the trio did on Tuesday though, this stay in Nebraska is on track to maybe be the longest stay of them all.

Hatcher, pinch hitting for Lane Forsythe, continued the eighth-inning resurgence with a grounder to short. He hustled it out to first and ended up with an infield single. Hatcher had a tough assignment coming in cold off the bench in a big moment, but, it don't matter.

"We have some selfless guys like that that let you keep playing and keep doing," Lemonis said. "And when the time [for Hatcher's] opportunity came, he got a huge hit for us."

Then here came Jordan. He delivered a double to center, putting Bulldogs at second and third with just one out.

"What a big hit by Rowdey there," Lemonis said.

But the biggest hit was yet to come. Allen walked to the plate, a base hit away from tying the game. First though, he had to have a chat with God.

"I kind of prayed," Allen said. "I said, 'Lord, I know this is a big moment.' I just told him, 'I want you to know, if I succeed or not I am still thankful for the ability you've given me and the opportunity you've given me to be in this moment.'"

Allen was 0-for-3 for the night as he stepped in the batter's box. He was 0-for-7 overall in the College World Series. But….It. Don't. Matter.

Virginia's Stephen Schoch delivered a pitch about belt high and right over the plate. Allen swung and sent the ball flying deep into the Omaha night to right. The Bulldogs had jumped to a 5-4 lead and there was absolute maroon and white madness.

"He produced again," Lemonis said of Allen. "He's been like that all year long. He's been the guy that just gets us going. And, man, what a great hit."

State was up, but nothing was secured just yet. The Bulldogs added an insurance run on a Dubrule RBI single to go up 6-4. It ended up being needed, too, as a Virginia solo homer in the eighth cut MSU's advantage to just one run. However Bulldog star closer Landon Sims entered and notched a four-out save to polish off one of the most unforgettable nights in MSU baseball history.

"Crazy college baseball game," Lemonis said.

As great as it was and as memorable as it was, the Bulldogs still have work to do. They'll face either Virginia or Texas later this week, getting two chances to earn one win and advance to next week's title series.

The late-inning dramatics of Tuesday won't carry much weight when MSU returns to the diamond. Put another way, it don't matter. It's on to the next challenge as State keeps trying to ascend to college baseball's mountaintop.

"We've just got to get our work in and let these guys just keep playing games," Lemonis said. "The way they're playing, we have a chance to play for a while."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tanner Allen

Kellum Clark

Scotty Dubrule

Lane Forsythe

Josh Hatcher

Rowdey Jordan

Landon Sims

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