TAMPA — Mississippi College erupted for seven runs in the third inning and held off a late push by Lynn University to claim a 13-9 victory on Thursday, May 15 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Baseball South I Regional.
The Choctaws (33-21) pounded out 17 hits and never trailed, riding a dominant offensive showing to its first postseason victory since 2018.
Tyler Jacobsen led the way with three hits and three RBI, including a two-run single in the third that helped break the game open.
MC took advantage of an early defensive miscue to grab a 3-0 lead in the first inning, then added a sacrifice fly from
Bryce LaRocca in the second to go up 4-1.
Lynn (30-16) responded with two runs in the third, but the Choctaws countered immediately, sending 11 batters to the plate in the bottom half. After Jacobsen's go-ahead hit,
Blaise Breerwood added an RBI single, and
Jordan Evans cracked a two-run double. LaRocca capped the frame with a two-run single, putting Mississippi College ahead 11-3.
The Fighting Knights chipped away with a four-run fourth and a solo home run by Cam Fowler in the sixth, but reliever
Kyle Collet (2-0) steadied the Choctaws' pitching. Collet tossed five innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen to earn the win, allowing six hits while striking out four.
LaRocca finished 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Evans, Breerwood, and
Logan Shurden each added multi-hit efforts. The Blue and Gold also swiped three bases and executed three sacrifice bunts in a fundamentally sharp offensive performance.
Lynn starter Matt Tinsley (3-4) suffered the loss after surrendering eight earned runs in just two innings of work.
Mississippi College advances in the winner's bracket and will face the host, Tampa, in the next round. First pitch is 4 p.m. central.
