Dogs Meet Louisville Sunday In Elimination Round Game At CWS
Sunday’s game is an elimination round matchup, with the winner advancing to a 1 p.m. (CDT) contest Tuesday. Both teams were unable to hold leads in dropping opening round matchups. State led 4-0 over North Carolina before bowing 8-5 to the Tar Heels. The Cardinals built up a 10-4 lead but saw Rice thunder back for a 15-10 win.
Sophomore right-hander Chad Crosswhite (8-4, 4.24) from Brandon, Miss., will open on the hill for the Bulldogs, making his 11th start of the campaign after opening the year with 11 relief appearances. Crosswhite will be matched with junior left Justin Mark (8-2, 2.54), who will be making his 18th start.
The Bulldogs, skippered by Ron Polk (1,351-668-2 --- 34 seasons) and the Cardinals, coached by Dan McDonnell, in his first season as a collegiate head coach, have met just once previously on the diamond, with MSU prevailing 4-0 in a 1994 matchup at Dudy Noble Field. McDonell, who guided his Louisville team to the CWS in his first season as a collegiate head coach, served six previous seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Mississippi.
Mississippi State conducted a 90-minute practice at Creighton University Saturday afternoon and later attended a banquet hosted in nearby Papillion, Neb., by the Optimist Club, the civic organization that serves as host for Mississippi State during its stay in Omaha.