TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Keith Holcombe’s night was almost nothing but swinging and missing. Alabama’s left fielder, the same man who ended Friday night with three runs driven in on two hits, amassed three strikeouts in four at-bats through the first nine innings.
His best swing of the night happened to combine with one of Cole Gordon’s (3-3) few mistakes pitches of the 53 he threw, covering 3 2/3 innings. For that, he was given a loss.
Alabama’s 4-3 win off the single form Holcombe forces a 3 p.m. Sunday (ESPNU) rubber match, one MSU looks poised to avoid as Gordon tamed the Crimson Tide (24-24, 6-17 Southeastern Conference) from the bullpen for two innings just for two pitches to unravel it all.
“I think he was effective, but one’s a decent pitch that gets through, another is up and the last was clearly up and you pay for those,” MSU interim coach Gary Henderson said.
Gordon’s first mistake tied the game, a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning off the bat of first baseman John Trousdale, his second home run of the season. Gordon rallied to retire the next two batters he faced, taking the game to extra innings, and got two outs in the 10th before Holcombe ended the game.
The few pitches Gordon left in less-than-advantageous spots were troubling, but not necessarily more so for Henderson than the need for Gordon to be so fine in the first place.
“We certainly had an opportunity to score more runs than we did, but we didn’t,” Henderson said, alluding to the 13 runners MSU left on base and MSU’s 3-for-19 (.158) hitting with runners on base. “Obviously we get to the end of the game and we should’ve had more of a cushion, but we didn’t.”
The Bulldogs (25-22, 10-13 SEC) took the lead in the seventh on a solo home run from Rowdey Jordan, his second of the series and fifth of the season.
MSU enters the rubber match with a starting pitcher that remains to be determined, just as it was when MSU entered the weekend. That spot has been occupied all season by Jacob Billingsley, who has yet to pitch this weekend and thus is available. Henderson said after the game the decision would be made later Saturday evening.
“It’s not going to be anybody you haven’t heard of or haven’t seen pitch,” he said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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