HOOVER, Ala. — Cole Gordon turned in the best pitching performance of his Mississippi State baseball career on Friday.
Working into the top of the eighth inning without giving up a run, Gordon exceeded the wildest dreams of his coaches and helped fifth-seeded MSU move six outs from an upset of top-seeded Florida.
But everything unraveled when Gordon exited the game after giving up a leadoff hit in the eighth.
From there, the MSU bullpen allowed 11 runs in the inning on six walks and five hits en route to a 12-3 loss in a winners’ bracket in the Southeastern Conference tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
As a result, MSU (36-23) drops into the losers’ bracket to play Arkansas (40-16) tonight. The winner will advance to the semifinals to play Florida (42-15). The loser will be eliminated from the tournament.
“We just kind of ran out of arms,” MSU coach Andy Cannizaro said. “We’ve been talking all year about the lack of depth due to injuries and other things. Today, ultimately, what happens is you run out of arms and you go from a 3-0 game to having to go to Riley Self on his third-straight day of pitching and you run out of bullets.”
Spencer Price took over after Gordon allowed a leadoff single in the eighth. He walked one batter before being pulled for Self. Self registered two strikeouts, but he allowed two singles, threw a wild pitch, and intentionally walked another.
MSU then turned to Trey Jolly, who walked the two batters he faced, Jacob Barton, and Andrew Mahoney to end the inning and the game.
Gordon went a career-best seven-plus innings. His longest outing entering the game was four innings. He allowed four hits, didn’t walk a batter, and was charged with one earned run. He struck out a season-high seven.
Self (5-1) was charged with the loss after surrendering three hits and five runs (all earned).
MSU will have a little more than five hours to recover from the loss. In between games, Cannizaro said he will meet with his team and deliver a message similar to the one he imparted after LSU swept MSU to end the regular season.
“When you play a team like Florida or a team like LSU, you have to play a complete nine innings,” Cannizaro said. “They’re never going to give you anything. They’re never going to give in. You have to sprint through the finish line against teams like this.”
Designated hitter Hunter Vansau sparked MSU’s 12-hit attack with an RBI triple in the fourth and an RBI double in the sixth. The Bulldogs scored their run in the fifth when Josh Lovelady led off with a single and scored on a wild pitch.
MSU first baseman Brent Rooker, the SEC Player of the Year, was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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