Georgia is one win away from reaching the College World Series for the first time since 2008. Game one of their Super Regional tilt against Mississippi State was an absolute masterpiece of a game that ended in a 13-12 victory for Georgia.
Many Bulldogs deserve praise for their performance in this come-from-behind victory, but is was Michael O'Shaughnessy who was the MVP. O'Shaugnessy finished with two home runs and five RBIs total, but it was his three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning that stood out the most as it gave Georgia their 13-12 lead that they held onto in the top of the ninth.
O'Shaugnessy wasn't supposed to play in this game though, but Tre Phelps' controversial ejection last weekend in the Athens Regional led him to play against Mississippi State and be the hero that Georgia needed.
Georgia benefited from Tre Phelps' suspension in game one of Super Regional against Mississippi State
Phelps was ejected during Georgia's final game of the Athens Regional last weekend. After a slow start against Liberty, Phelps got Georgia on the board with a three-run shot to give them their first lead of the game.
Emotions were high as Phelps rounded the bases, and as he was running towards first he made a celebratory gesture to his parents in the stands. Unfortunately for him his parents were sitting right behind the Liberty dugout, so the home plate umpire thought he was gesturing towards the opposition.
This led to his ejection and subsequent suspension for game one against Mississippi State per NCAA rules.
O'Shaughnessy replaced Phelps against Liberty and conveniently hit a home run in his first plate appearance the next inning. Fast forward to the Super Regional and he was undoubtedly the MVP Georgia needed to get past Mississippi State in game one.
No one should celebrate Phelps ejection and suspension, but it is a bit ironic that this is what led to O'Shaughnessy playing in game one against Mississippi State and being the biggest reason why they won.
Now Wes Johnson has a big decision to make. Phelps is too good not to play in game two against Mississippi State, but O'Shaughnessy is Georgia's hottest bat right now. So he's going to have to find a way to fit both in the lineup as that duo will give Georgia the best chance to win game two and advance to the College World Series.
What's at stake for Georgia in game 2 of their Super Regional against Mississippi State?
Georgia now has a huge advantage over Mississippi State as they need to win just one of two games to advance to the College World Series. This would be their first appearance in the CWS since 2008, so after two decades everyone in Athens is ready to see this team get back to Omaha.
Losing game two would setup a winner-take-all game three on Monday, but Georgia will need to do whatever it takes to make sure a game three isn't needed.
Game two of Georgia's Super Regional against Mississippi State will be aired on ESPN with first pitch scheduled for Sunday, June 7 at Noon EST.
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