STARKVILLE — With the No. 4 University of Florida baseball team coming to town for Super Bulldog Weekend, it helps to have some momentum.
Mississippi State overcame a two-run deficit to defeat No. 14 Southern Miss 5-4 on Tuesday in Pearl. The victory helped ease the sting of a lost weekend at Georgia in which MSU was swept in a three-game Southeastern Conference series for the first time this season.
Mid-week matchups against quality competition are common in the SEC, MSU coach John Cohen said Wednesday, and MSU”s win against USM gave it a needed RPI boost to No. 41. Southern Miss is ranked No. 4 in the RPI, which is used as a gauge to determine a team”s overall strength.
Cohen was pleased to see his team use its strengths — pitching and defense — to rally. The Bulldogs (20-9) fell behind 4-2 after USM chased starting pitcher Andrew Busby in the second inning after giving up three earned runs. Kendall Graveman lasted just two-thirds of an inning after giving up an earned run on two hits and a hit by pitch.
A start like that on the mound in Cohen”s first two seasons as coach at MSU would have denied the Bulldogs any chance of a comeback, but with 16 arms in the bullpen this season Cohen knew he had quality relievers to turn to.
MSU received seven straight shutout innings from sophomore left-hander Luis Pollorena (3-0) and closer Caleb Reed, who earned his fourth save. The defense also recorded its 15th error-free performance.
“I feel like we have tremendous depth and we can play matchups,” Cohen said of his bullpen. “I think our defense won the game for us, and, hopefully, it”s gonna win more games for us.”
Although just 5-foot-6, Pollorena, a junior college transfer, provides an athletic presence on the mound. He also can control the running game, which is crucial late in games. Cohen credits some of Pollorena”s effectiveness to a cut fastball he said pitching coach Butch Thompson taught Pollorena at the start of the season. He said Pollorena”s understanding of offense — he was recruited mainly as a positional player — and his leadership help make him an ideal set-up man for Reed.
“When all those things really count late in the game — controlling the running game, having to make a play off the mound whether it be a bunt or a ball hit at you — he just excels in so many areas,” Cohen said. “He could evolve into a starting pitcher if he can log innings.
“When he”s not pitching, he”s our leader. The minute he stepped into our program, he wanted to win and be a part of something special, and that”s what drew us to him.”
In the past eight games, MSU”s bullpen has allowed just eight earned runs on 23 hits and nine walks. The bullpen has worked around a pair of limited innings from Sunday starter Nick Routt, who has been held to less than 60 pitches as he returns from elbow surgery and short outings from starter Devin Jones (Friday) and Busby (Tuesday).
—Cohen wants better production at plate
Limited run production played a key role in MSU”s three losses last weekend at Georgia.
MSU didn”t give up more than four runs in each of the games, but it scored five runs in the series, including two games in which it scored just once.
Against Southern Miss, MSU benefited from four errors, but it won”t have the luxury of having an off night at the plate against Florida, which leads the SEC in ERA (2.28). Florida pitchers also have walked a league-low 51.
After being shut out twice by top-ranked Vanderbilt, Cohen said his team wouldn”t face a tougher staff. While Florida and Vanderbilt have dominating staffs, there”s a stark difference between the two, Cohen said.
“Vanderbilt just throws more pitches because they strike so many guys out,” Cohen said. “Florida is just super efficient. They get so many outs early in the count, so we”re going to have to work against that. We can”t give them three-pitch-or-less at-bats.”
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