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The 2024 SEC tournament rolls on Wednesday with four more games, including each of the top four seeds making their first appearance.
Tuesday's biggest upset saw Georgia, led by presumptive Golden Spikes Award favorite Charlie Condon, losing 9-1 against LSU and leaving their fate for the NCAA tournament up in the air.
Reigning SEC tournament champion Vanderbilt scored a 6-3 win over Florida to advance past the single-elimination opening round.
2024 SEC Tournament Results - Wednesday, May 22 (Double-Elimination)
No. 11 LSU def. No. 3 Kentucky, 11-0
No. 10 South Carolina def. No. 2 Arkansas, 6-5
No. 8 Vanderbilt def. No. 1 Tennessee, 13-4
No. 5 Mississippi State def. No. 4 Texas A&M, 5-3
Southeastern Conference @SECThe bracket heading into the 2nd Round! ✌️<br><br>[PDF] <a href="https://t.co/bNz45yJNx4">https://t.co/bNz45yJNx4</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SECBSB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SECBSB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SECTourney?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SECTourney</a> <a href="https://t.co/8QQeyIKYQT">pic.twitter.com/8QQeyIKYQT</a>
2024 SEC Tournament Schedule - Thursday, May 22
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Arkansas (10:30 a.m. ET)
No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 4 Texas A&M (2 p.m. ET)
No. 11 LSU vs. No. 10 South Carolina (5:30 p.m. ET)
No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. No. 5 Mississippi State (9 p.m. ET)
No. 5 Mississippi State def. No. 4 Texas A&M, 5-3
Connor Hujsak's go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth lifted Mississippi State to a 5-3 victory over Texas A&M in the final game on Wednesday's schedule.
After Johnny Long grounded out to start the ninth, Aggies reliever Chris Cortez hit the next two batters he faced. Evan Aschenbeck was brought in to escape the jam, but his throwing error on a Hunter Hines comebacker loaded the bases.
Hujsak stepped up to the plate with two outs and took a breaking ball back up the middle for a single that scored Bryce Chance and David Mershon.
Southeastern Conference @SECHUJSAK PLAYS HERO AGAIN IN THE 9TH 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/HailStateBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HailStateBB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SECTourney?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SECTourney</a> <a href="https://t.co/VziQibwP1c">pic.twitter.com/VziQibwP1c</a>
It was the second straight day that Hujsak had the go-ahead hit for the Bulldogs. He hit a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth against Mississippi on Tuesday.
Khal Stephen allowed three runs in five innings for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs 'pen allowed just two hits over the final four innings.
Texas A&M was able to fight back after going down 3-0 in the third inning. Hayden Schott tied the game with an RBI double off Stephen in the bottom of the sixth.
Ted Burton's two-out double in the bottom of the eighth was the only time the Aggies got a runner in scoring position over the final three innings. He was stranded when Schott grounded out to end the frame.
Mississippi State will advance to take on reigning tournament champion Vanderbilt on Thursday. Texas A&M will take on top-seeded Tennessee in an elimination game for both teams.
No. 8 Vanderbilt def. No. 1 Tennessee, 13-4
Vanderbilt jumped on Tennessee early and didn't look back as it pummeled the Vols to the tune of 13 runs on 15 hits.
Tennessee actually drew first blood as Hunter Ensley hit an RBI double in the bottom of the second. Vandy responded with five runs in the top of the third. A wild pitch and a single by Davis Diaz plated two and then three-run homer by Alan Espinal broke things open.
After the Commodores made it a 6-1 game, Reese Chapman delivered a three-run homer of his own to trim the Vols' deficit to two.
Tennessee Baseball @Vol_BaseballA 🚀 FROM REESE!!!<br><br>And just like that, we're right back in this thing!<br><br>📺 <a href="https://t.co/Us4NI4Brnb">https://t.co/Us4NI4Brnb</a> (SECN) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBO</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OTH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OTH</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeatVandy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeatVandy</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZMuqihoUjW">pic.twitter.com/ZMuqihoUjW</a>
But Vanderbilt had the long ball working. Espinal got his second of the game in the seventh, while Jonathan Vastine and Colin Barczi each cleared the fences to pad Vanderbilt's lead.
Commodores starter Devin Futrell had a tough time in his four innings of work, allowing four earned runs and three extra-base hits. Once coach Tim Corbin turned things over to the bullpen, Tennessee was toast.
Luke Guth threw a scoreless fifth inning while Miller Green kept the Vols off the board and Miller Green struck out four batters in the final five frames to be the winning pitcher of record.
No. 10 South Carolina def. No. 2 Arkansas, 6-5
A good start for the lower seeds continued with South Carolina holding off Arkansas 6-5 in the second game of the day from Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Cole Messina played the role of hero for the Gameco*cks. He finished 3-for-4 with two homers, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie.
Gameco*ck Baseball @Gameco*ckBasebllJust give Moose the Buster Posey Award now!!<br><br>📺 SEC Network<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gameco*cks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gameco*cks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForeverToThee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForeverToThee</a> <a href="https://t.co/js4EVLzzSA">pic.twitter.com/js4EVLzzSA</a>
Messina's five RBI tied his season-high, previously done on May 3 against Missouri. Parker Noland drove in the other run for South Carolina with an RBI single in the top of the first.
Arkansas had a chance to tie the game or win in the bottom of the ninth. Ben McLaughlin drove in a run to make the score 6-5 with one out and two men on base.
Garrett Gainey was able to escape the jam by getting Wehiwa Aloy to ground into a fielder's choice and Jared Sprague-Lott to fly out to center.
The Gameco*cks used three pitchers to get the win. Eli Jones started the game and lasted 3.1 innings before giving way to Ty Good. After Good allowed two earned runs in 2.2 innings, Gainey pitched the final three innings.
South Carolina advances to the winner's side of the bracket to take on LSU on Thursday. Arkansas will look to keep its SEC tournament hopes alive tomorrow against Kentucky in the first game of the day at 10:30 a.m. ET.
No. 11 LSU def. No. 3 Kentucky, 11-0 (8 innings)
Jared Jones and Tommy White hit grand slams in the seventh and eighth innings to turn a pitching duel between LSU and Kentucky into a lopsided 11-0 blowout win that was called after eight innings due to the run rules.
Kentucky tried to play the percentages in the top of the seventh by intentionally walking White to load the bases for Jones, hoping to set up a double-play opportunity. The strategy backfired when Jones crushed a 2-2 pitch from Cameron O'Brien over the wall in left field.
There was no opportunity to workaround White in the top of the eighth after Michael Braswell III was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. The Tigers' third baseman hit an opposite-field liner that cleared the fence to make it an 11-0 game.
Luke Holman gave the Tigers six no-hit innings on the mound. He walked two and struck out seven before being removed after his pitch count got to 100.
Mitchell Daly's leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh was the only hit Kentucky managed in the game.
Wildcats pitchers struggled to find the strike zone when they weren't giving up those grand slams. Six pitchers combined to give up just seven hits, but they also walked seven hitters.
The win sends LSU to the winner's side of the bracket on Thursday. Kentucky will play the first game tomorrow looking to avoid elimination.
