Sophomore Jordan Westburg desperately wished for May to end.
Since May 3, he was an abysmal 8-for-57 entering Friday’s 11-6 NCAA Tournament game win over Southern University.
But on the final day of the fifth month of the year, Westburg redeemed himself. Tied at six in the bottom of the seventh inning, he smoked a grounder through short for a go-ahead two-RBI single.
Standing on first, he threw a fist pump four weeks in the making.
“It’s just been up and down, up and down,” Westburg said. “Coach (Chris) Lemonis and coach (Jake) Gautreau kept their confidence in me and it’s just grinding through it and just to come through in a spot like that today was awesome.”
Sophomore Rowdey Jordan also helped pace the MSU offense with a 4-for-5, three-RBI day. Jordan’s two-run home run in the eighth inning afforded the Bulldogs the insurance runs they needed to bury the Jaguars.
“I was out in front a little bit but I just put the barrel onto the ball and got it into the air,” Jordan said.
It was a messy day for the MSU pitching staff as freshman JT Ginn was pulled after just three innings with arm soreness. Lemonis said postgame that Ginn will not pitch the rest of the weekend and that the staff will monitor him with caution.
Seniors Jared Liebelt and Cole Gordon shouldered the load out of the bullpen Friday.
Liebelt earned the win after pitching 3 1/3 innings. His lone blemish came when Southern second baseman Johnny Johnson hit a game-tying two run homer in the seventh that slipped off Jordan’s glove and over the wall.
Gordon notched his 10th save of the season, tossing two innings of one hit ball. He recorded all six of his outs via strikeout.
“My goal was to go out there, fill it up and force contact if I could,” he said. “If not, just make good pitches to help the other guys out.”
MSU will await the winner of Friday night’s game between Miami and Central Michigan. Southern will play the loser in an elimination game.
The winner’s bracket contest will begin 6 p.m.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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