PEARL — What is left of Mississippi State’s baseball roster, after nearly countless injuries, had an opportunity Tuesday night to turn its attention to its next conference series.
It didn’t. For that, MSU coach Andy Cannizaro thinks his players deserve credit, especially after Southern Mississippi scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and three more in the third to take a commanding lead. MSU rallied but ultimately fell short in a 7-5 loss at Trustmark Park.
“Our guys could have folded,” Cannizaro said, “but we’re not going to do that. We’re never going to do that.”
MSU (12-10) trailed 7-2 in the top of the eighth when shortstop Ryan Gridley and right fielder Elijah MacNamee singled. Second baseman Cody Brown followed with a full-count single to load the bases. Hunter Vansau’s pinch-hit single ultimately scored two runs, as MacNamee scored on a fielder’s interference call. Catcher Josh Lovelady singled in the final run.
With leadoff hitter Jake Mangum serving a one-game suspension due to a violation of team rules, Cannizaro used Brent Rooker in the leadoff spot and Gridley behind him. Cannizaro said Mangum will resume his duties as the leadoff hitter when he returns to the team for its series against Tennessee this weekend in Starkville. Beyond that, Cannizaro is sticking with the most recent iteration of his lineup.
“We have two guys in our lineup tonight (Gridley and Rooker) that are swinging the bat great,” Cannizaro said. “They’re two of the better hitters in the SEC, and where we are as an offense, I’m going to hit those guys at the top and let them get the most at-bats out of anybody every game.”
Against Southern Miss, that lineup featured MacNamee, Brown, Luke Alexander, Harrison Bragg, Brant Blaylock, Lovelady, and Tanner Poole.
Cannizaro tried last weekend to shake up the lineup in his team’s Southeastern Conference debut series at Arkansas. Entering that series, MSU went with the same four players — Mangum, Alexander, Gridley, and Rooker — in the top four spots in the lineup for its 18-game non-conference schedule.
In the first two games against Arkansas, Brown moved into the No. 2 hole, while Alexander was at No. 5. When healthy, second baseman Hunter Stovall has hit ninth. In his one appearance of the Arkansas series, he batted seventh. Poole, more commonly found in the No. 6 hole, occupied the No. 9 hole all weekend.
MSU’s lineup Sunday featured Gridley and Rooker moved up a spot with Alexander at No. 6.
The changes might have affected Brown more than most. In his 15 starts this season through Tuesday, he has batted second twice, fourth once, fifth five times, sixth six times, and ninth once. He acknowledges moving to different spots in the order impacts his approach, but he has a system for managing it.
“I’ve had an opportunity to bat 5-hole, 6-hole, 9-hole, 1-hole, 2-hole, things like that,” Brown said. “It’s a different approach, most certainly, as far as what pitches you’ll see, but going into each game is a mind-set and being able to execute your mind-set.”
Brown’s movement has carried over to the field. In those 15 starts, he has started at first base nine times and at second base six times. He also has played in the outfield.
“The coaches do a great job of shooting me ground balls, shooting me scoops at first base,” Brown said. “(I am) even in the outfield, taking a few fly balls here and there and staying on top of that.”
It’s easy for Brown to shake off the changes because he knows their goal is to break MSU out of a losing streak that has grown to four games.
“Wherever I can play, whatever I can do to help the team,” Brown said, “is good for me.”
Freshman Matt Wallner set MSU down in order in the ninth to pick up his second save and preserve USM’s first win in the series since 2015.
Taylor Braley (2-0) allowed five runs and nine hits in seven innings. Three of the runs and three of the hits came at the start of MSU’s eighth-inning rally. Prior to that, Braley had allowed two runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Braley also had an RBI double in the first. Casey Maack forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded by starting pitcher Denver McQuary (0-1). Cole Donaldson capped the four-run inning with a two-run single.
McQuary pitched two innings and allowed four runs, all earned.
Rooker’s run-scoring triple in the third got MSU on the board, but USM answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning on LeeMarcus Boyd’s single and Dylan Burdeaux’s two-run double.
Rooker drove in MSU’s second run on a groundout in the fifth.
USM has won eight games in a row, marking the longest streak since it won 13 in a row late in 2015. It will play host to Marshall oat 6 p.m. Friday in a Conference USA weekend series.
NOTES: Cannizaro said Stovall will be out for, “another week or two,” as he continues to struggle with the hamstring injury that has plagued him all season. Cannizaro said he hopes to have Stovall back for the Ole Miss series, which begins March 30 in Oxford on March 30. … Jacob Billingsley, MSU’s usual midweek starter, will be out for about a week, Cannizaro said. He said Billingsley rolled his ankle while running for conditioning. Since Billingsley dealt with a broken foot in the fall, Cannizaro thought it best to take a precautionary approach with Billingsley.
n Memphis 2, No. 11 Ole Miss 1, 11 innings: At Memphis, Tennessee, Colby Bortles produced a game-tying double in the top of the ninth to force extra innings, but timely hits in the 11th lifted Memphis past No. 11 Ole Miss on Tuesday night at AutoZone Park. The Rebels (14-7) threatened with runners on late in the game, but the Tigers (13-7) claimed the win in walk-off fashion.
Bortles went 2-for-4, while Tate Blackman, Chase Cockrell, and former New Hope High School standout Will Golsan had hits.
Making his first start of the season, redshirt senior Sean Johnson allowed one run on two hits and one walk in four innings. Sophomore Connor Green threw a season-high 2 2/3 innings and didn’t give up a run.
Center fielder Tyler Webb had four of the Tigers’ nine hits, while first baseman Trent Turner knocked in both of the team’s runs.
Starting pitcher Jonathan Bowlan went 8 1/3 innings before allowing the tying run in the ninth. Hunter Smith (1-0) got the win in relief.
Ole Miss will take on Kentucky at 6 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network) in Game 1 of a weekend Southeastern Conference series.
n Alabama 4, Alabama-Birmingham 1: At Birmingham, Alabama, Freshman pitchers Deacon Medders, Garret Rukes, and Davis Vainer limit the Blazers to one unearned run Tuesday night in the Crimson Tide’s victory at Regions Field.
“It feels good to get the win tonight, especially on the road over a good UAB club,” said Alabama coach Greg Goff, whose team improved to 11-10. “I’ve got so much respect for coach (Brian) Shoop and their coaching staff, but I’m glad we could get the win. I was really impressed with the poise our guys showed on the mound tonight, and our bats added some really timely hitting.”
In his first career start, Medders threw four innings of scoreless baseball. He allowed three hits and two walks and struck out three. Garret Rukes (2-1) followed with 3 1/3 scoreless innings. The left-hander allowed two hits and struck out two before handing it over to Vainer, who threw 1 2/3 innings to notch his third save. He allowed one unearned run and a hit and struck out three.
Gene Wood went 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and one run scored. Hunter Alexander was 2-for-4 with a double and a team-leading two RBIs. Connor Short hit his second home run to extend his hitting streak.
Alabama will take on No. 7 South Carolina at 6 p.m. Friday in Game 1 of a three-game SEC weekend series.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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