HATTIESBURG — Four times this year, the Mississippi State baseball has reeled off a streak of at least four consecutive wins.
MSU will have to repeat that feat in the next three days to keep its season alive.
Randy Bell threw a complete-game six-hitter, and Travis Swaggerty went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs to lead No. 3 seed South Alabama to a 6-3 victory against No. 2 seed and No. 20 MSU on Friday night in the NCAA tournament’s Hattiesburg Regional at Pete Taylor Park.
The loss drops MSU (36-25) into a game against No. 4 seed Illinois-Chicago, which lost to No. 1 seed Southern Mississippi 8-7 earlier in the day, in the losers’ bracket at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“They took tremendous swings tonight,” MSU coach Andy Cannizaro said. “We just didn’t do enough tonight to beat an outstanding team.”
South Alabama (40-19) capitalized on the early struggles of starting pitcher Cole Gordon. Left fielder Dylan Hardy hit Gordon’s first pitch for a home run. From there, Gordon, who was dominant in seven-plus innings against Florida in the Southeastern Conference tournament in his last start, struggled with his command and threw 27 of his 58 pitches for strikes. He walked five, including two after the home run. Both of the walks scored.
Gordon started the third inning by walking the bases loaded, but Peyton Plumlee retired three straight to escape the jam.
MSU wasn’t as fortunate in the fifth when Swaggerty hit a three-run homer.
MSU cut into the deficit on Cody Brown’s RBI triple and Hunter Vansau’s sacrifice fly, but it couldn’t touch Bell after that. The right-hander walked two and struck out three in a season-high 132-pitch outing. MSU finished the game hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Former New Hope High School standout Wells Davis went 0-for-4 with a walk for South Alabama.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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