HATTIESBURG — Brent Rooker might be college baseball’s best hitter.
But, for the first three days of the NCAA tournament’s Hattiesburg Regional, he wasn’t even the best first baseman at the event.
Rooker had three hits in 11 at-bats (.272) in his first three games of the weekend. It was a far cry from the .404 average he had to start the tournament. The three-game stretch also featured one RBI. It marked the first time he had only one RBI in three games since late April.
Rooker returned to form with impeccable timing.
With the No. 2 seed and No. 20 Mississippi State baseball team needing to beat No. 1 seed and No. 14 Southern Mississippi twice Monday to advance, Rooker came alive with three hits, including two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored to spark MSU to 8-1 and 8-6 victories against USM at Pete Taylor Park.
The wins send MSU (40-25) to the super regionals against No. 4 LSU (46-17). Game 1 of the best-of-three super regional will be at 8 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2). It marks the first time MSU has advanced to the super regionals in back-to-back seasons.
Rooker wasn’t afraid to admit he was frustrated prior to Monday’s games. His method of dealing with it: jokes.
“Everybody gets frustrated. It’s a really hard game,” Rooker said. “I was joking with (MSU coach Andy Cannizaro). I was asking him if he ever got frustrated when he played. I thought it was just me.”
Rooker’s approach helped him avoid making drastic changes and “grind through the tougher times.”
He didn’t have to grind for much Monday.
Rooker said he got clean contact on both of his home runs and had no doubt both were leaving the park. His first served, a two-run shot in the sixth inning of Game 1, increased MSU’s lead from four to six runs. His home run in Game 2 came in the first inning.
But Rooker might have had his most important contact after the two home runs. For once on the weekend, Rooker benefited from luck. Rooker came to the plate in the eighth of Game 2 with Brant Blaylock representing the tying run on second base and Hunter Stovall on first base with the go-ahead run.
“I was just trying to put a ball in play with two strikes and he made a really good pitch,” Rooker said. “I was a little disappointed coming out of the box I didn’t get more of it, but I knew with the way the wind was playing it might be trouble.”
What appeared to be an innocent pop up when it left Rooker’s bat fell in shallow right field for a single that scored Blaylock and Stovall to give MSU a lead it never surrendered. The hit capped a 2-for-4 evening that was Rooker’s 33rd multi-hit game of the season. It also lifted his average back to .a team-leading .395 and increased his RBI total to 82, which also leads the squad. Rooker leads he Bulldogs in 11 offensive categories and is tied for the team lead in triples (three) with Brown.
“I’ve had success throughout the year and I’ve hit a few lulls along the way like every hitter does, but I just talked to coach to stay with my approach and not try to do too much, not pressing, just allow myself to go to the plate and be comfortable and trust my ability to hit,” Rooker said
Senior catcher Josh Lovelady added the first home run of his MSU career.
Third baseman / left fielder Cody Brown — aptly nicknamed “Downtown” for his power hitting — clubbed his ninth home run in the fifth inning of Game 2. MSU was trailing 5-1 at the time, but his three-run shot set the table for MSU to score four more runs in the final three innings. Brown was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional.
“His season in general is a really big reason why we’re here,” Cannizaro said.
The rally helped MSU secure its 23rd come-from-behind victory of the season.
Jake Mangum, Hunter Vansau, and Harrison Bragg also had two hits in Game 2.
Cole Gordon received his second start of the regional, but he lasted only 2/3 of an inning. Trey Jolly threw 3 1/3 innings in relief. He allowed two hits and one run. He walked one and struck out two. It was his second-longest outing of the season (5 1/3 innings against Kentucky on April 9).
Spencer Price (4-1), who leads the team with 14 saves, earned the victory with a season-high three innings. He gave up two hits and one run. He walked none and struck out one. Riley Self pitched the final two innings for his eighth save. It was the longest Self has had to pitch to earn a save.
Dylan Burdeaux, Hunter Slater, and LeeMarcus Boyd hit home runs for USM (50-16). Slater and Boyd had three hits to pace the Golden Eagles’ 10-hit attack.
Kirk McCarty started and went four innings. He allowed six hits and three runs. He walked three and struck out three. Nick Sandlin (10-2) took the loss. He went 3 2/3 innings and surrendered four hits and four runs (three earned). He walked three and struck out five.
“It’s never easy to end it like we did today,” USM coach Scott Berry said. “I wanna congratulate Mississippi State for the way they went in and competed, having to win two games. What I don’t want to lose in this whole thing, is yes, our season ended today, but what a season it was for these young men that are sitting next to me and all their teammates. It’s a very special group that I’ll always be thankful for, and the Southern Miss fan base should too for all the excitement and good times they gave us. Not only did they represent us on the field, but off it as well and how we run our program. The game is sometimes unforgiving and we are feeling it, but it gives us many things that we are grateful for, especially with the relationships we have.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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