OMAHA (Neb. Jack Leiter did not want to think about whether this was his last game at Vanderbilt. He'll be the first to be called in MLB draft in two weeks. In just a few moments, he'd be pitching at the College World Series in front of what seemed half the Mississippi population.Leiter looks to his father for wisdom in times like these. Al Leiter pitched 19 major league seasons, won three World Series and was sitting in a sea maroon Monday night at TD Ameritrade Park.Jack Leiter stated, "He pitched in many big games." "And that advice has helped a lot, because the most important thing in any big league is to not make it bigger than it is. Also, remember that this is the same game that you played when you were a child, no matter how many people are watching it or how many like tonight.Vanderbilt was within one game of their second consecutive national championship. Leiter struck out eight batters in an 8-2 victory over Mississippi State in Game 1 in the CWS finals. In the bottom of the first inning, the Commodores scored seven runs to take out the uber-partisan crowd.Due to a storm that never came, the contest was delayed by an hour Monday night. The Commodores bats were able to make up the difference in some ways. Vanderbilt, who had been averaging only four runs per game in Omaha, almost doubled that number by the second inning. It was only three hits.Christian MacLeod, Mississippi State's lefty, walked two of his three first batters and then struck Tate Kolwyck by a pitch. Kolwyck was struck by a glancing blow on the foot. The umpires reviewed it, but MacLeod struck another batter on his next pitch. There was no confusion. Vanderbilt scored its first run with a pitch to Parker Noland on the shoulder. CJ Rodriguez then singled, and Isaiah Thomas doubled to make it 4-1.After only 2/3 of an innings, MacLeod was out and became the first pitcher not to make it to the top of the CWS finals. Chase Patrick was given the start and allowed Jayson Gonzalez to score a three-run homer. The crowd was stunned silence. It was 7-1.Six days prior, MacLeod had only been able to last 1.2 innings against Virginia. MacLeod spoke to the media on Sunday, saying he had been improving his fastball command and felt ready to go. Chris Lemonis, Bulldogs coach, said that MacLeod was trying too hard.Tanner Allen, right-fielder, said that the Bulldogs were not about to point fingers at anybody.Allen stated, "We pick up each other." Allen said, "As a teammate watching him work in the offseason, the fall, and spring training, you can’t do anything but to slap him on his butt, pick him up, and encourage him, for he’ll get the ball back again. He'll see the sun again.He's probably getting a lot of flak right now on social media, but 99.9% of those people have not played in a national championship and have never pitched in front even 500 people. He's a great player. We'll see him again."Jack Leiter made his final college appearance. He got seven runs in the first inning. The Vandy won 8-2. Steven Branscombe/USA Today SportsLeiter, who threw just 123 pitches last week in a loss to NC State, lasted six innings Monday and scattered three hits as well as two runs. He threw 107 pitches and reached 96 mph.Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt's coach, was asked his thoughts on Leiter's last game.Corbin replied, "Good game," and then moved on to the next question.Lemonis felt the Bulldogs took some good shots on Leiter, the national strikeout leader projected by ESPN as the No. 4, in the July 11 MLB Draft. The first inning proved too difficult to overcome.Lemonis stated, "He's great." Lemonis said, "He's going to be among the top five picks of the country for some reason. Soon, he'll be in big leagues. I thought that we were just fine. It was a 3-2 match, so we would have to win it against him late. It didn't happen.The Bulldogs can take solace in Monday's performance. Their bullpen was outstanding, allowing only two hits throughout the game. They had another thing to look forward too as they were getting ready for Tuesday: They won’t have to face Leiter.Corbin stated, "Jack definitely set the tone tonight." He pitched very well. It was also difficult pitching. This team is not going to give up. They will fight for you every pitch. They make it extremely difficult."
