In Game 3 of the College World Series, the Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores to win their first ever national championship. (0:56).OMAHA (Neb. The Mississippi State's first ever national championship was a building block since 1985 when "Thunder and Lightning" -- Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro - were the stars of what is now known as the best college team that has not won a College World Series.The 2021 Bulldogs did the job. Finally.Will Bednar, Landon Sims, and Landon Sims combined to pitch a one-hitter. The Bulldogs scored quickly and continued their lead. At the end, they were in a dogpile celebrating their 9-0 win over Vanderbilt in Wednesday's finals of the College World Series.Ron Polk, the father of Mississippi State baseball and coach of the '85 team was there to witness it.Coach Chris Lemonis stated that Coach Polk was the one who created and started this. We run out and play in front large crowds. But Polk and our former players were a major reason. This has been a long time in the making and is great fun. This will be a great experience for our fans.They enjoyed it. Starkville, Mississippi was awash with excitement for the finals.The Bulldogs' dugout was empty when Kamren James, third baseman, threw to first for their final out. Around 100 people jumped from the stands to celebrate. The players followed the warning track, and high-fived the fans.Tanner Allen, SEC player-of-the-year, stated that he couldn't be happier for a team or a town. "Those guys are always there for me. They were always there for me so I decided to try my luck."This team has overcome everything. From being swept at home in front 10,000 against Arkansas to Missouri coming in, taking a series from our team and then being embarrassed at the SEC tourney. We kept on playing. We're national champions in a blink of an eye.Bednar, who was able to rest for three days, walked three out of five of the first five batters before retiring 15 consecutively. To start the seventh, he turned the game over and Vandy ended the no-hitter after Carter Young reached base with one out in eighth.Sims' loss to the no-no resulted in a laughing Bednar saying, "I'll probably bust him chops tomorrow." "Win a national title, I don’t really care about it. "I'm on cloud nine."It was the first CWS one-hitter since 2014. This was also the culmination of an Omaha run that seemed easier for the Bulldogs as they stayed there longer. All three of the wins that they needed to reach finals were decided by one run.Lemonis stated, "When you're going do something legendary for first time, it was going have to be difficult." We are champions because we have a tough and resilient group. It has been built over time. It is the sum of the past three years.Bednar (9-1), who had 15 strikeouts against Texas in Omaha on June 20 were the highest in 25 years. He was also the CWS Most Outstanding Player.Lemonis stated, "Just about every time he has taken the ball here during the postseason he's just been an MVP," "You need someone to be hot for you in postseason, and that was Will tonight."Will Bednar and Bulldogs' closer Landon Sims, who had only three days rest, combined to throw the first College World Series one-hitter since 2014. Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesMississippi State's 50-18 national championship was the first in a team sport. It came during the Bulldogs' 12th CWS. Only Clemson (12 and Florida State 23) have visited Omaha more times than the Bulldogs without winning a title.Kellum Clark and Logan Tanner both homered in the seventh inning to win the game against Vanderbilt's offense, which managed only seven hits and three runs in the final 25 innings.Coach Tim Corbin of Vanderbilt said that "we didn't play our most baseball towards the end." "Getting through regionals was difficult, getting through the superregion was difficult, and this was not an easy task here. Then there was the momentum. It was tangible and felt real.In the fifth, Mississippi State was able to knock out starting pitcher Kumar Rocker (41-4). This was the second consecutive time that Kumar Rocker (14-4) in the fifth CWS start wasn't at his best. It was partly due to weaker defense.Six errors were made by the Commodores in the second and third rounds of the finals, and thirteen in the seven CWS games. In seven of their seven games, the Bulldogs did not make any errors.Wednesday's game was the end of a CWS like no other since 1947. Last year's CWS was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 was present during the event's return, even though it was full capacity.In a 3-1 loss against Vanderbilt, North Carolina State was left with half of its roster after positive COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Eight players had already tested positive, prompting the NCAA to remove North Carolina State from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols.The second bracket final between Vandy and NC State was declared a no-contest, and the Commodores advanced to the finals in order to win a second consecutive title and third since 2014.After scoring seven runs in the opening inning, they won 8-2. They didn't score much the rest.Mississippi State won Game 2 13-2 and, thanks to Bednar's help, was able coast to its title-clinching win.Corbin stated, "Great comeback by them." "They saw that they were not out of it when we beat them in their first game."Four future MLB All-Stars were part of the '85 Mississippi State team. It won two games in Omaha before dropping two more. The CWS was won by the four MSU teams that made it to the next round. They each won one game.The Bulldogs reached the finals but were defeated by UCLA. They scored only one run over the two games. The 2018 team did not put up much resistance in bracket finals against Oregon State. Meanwhile, the 2019 team lost a ninth-inning lead against Louisville in an elimination match.Lemonis stated that all former players have a piece of it.
