rise of the okra

Six outs from elimination today in the NCAA Division II College World Series, Delta State was right where it wanted to be. Or so it seems. The Statesmen, who won five straight elimination games just to get to the CWS, rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the eighth inning to beat Minnesota State-Mankato 6-5 and earn a berth in the national championship game. DSU (49-14) will play West Chester at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Cary, N.C., in a one-game showdown for the crown. It would be the second national title for DSU and coach Mike Kinnison, who also won it all in 2004. Michael Vinson got the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth, breaking a 5-5 tie. “I never give up on this team and they haven’t given up on me this entire season,” Kinnison said in a school release.