STARKVILLE — Sunday pitching has been a sore spot for the Mississippi State baseball team.
Entering the weekend, both of the MSU’s Southeastern Conference losses came in Game 3s against Vanderbilt and Georgia. The opponents scored 23 runs in those games.
MSU coach John Cohen hoped not having to go to his bullpen in the first two games of the series against Ole Miss would help him piece together a rotation to complete the sweep.
It didn’t work out that way.
No. 5 MSU used six pitchers and lost 8-5 to No. 13 Ole Miss Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.
“I don’t think it’s frustrating,” Cohen said. “We have guys who haven’t done it yet at this level. It takes everybody a while to figure out who you are and how to get people out.”
Junior right-handers Dakota Hudson and Austin Sexton pitched complete games Friday and Saturday, respectively, to help the Bulldogs (20-8, 6-3 SEC) clinch their first series over the Rebels (21-7, 3-6) since 2012. Cohen pointed out that it took Hudson and Sexton a couple of seasons to get to where they are.
In the last three games, the MSU pitching staff didn’t issue any walks, but the six pitchers combined for three walks and two hit by pitches. The Rebels turned those free passes into four runs.
Junior left-hander Daniel Brown, who didn’t start last week, started and lasted one inning. He was pulled in the second inning after allowing a home run and a single. He allowed two runs on three hits. He walked one.
Brown lasted 2 2/3 innings March 20 at Vanderbilt in a 12-6 loss, but he was done in by three errors. He surrendered eight runs, five earned, on nine hits. He struck out five and walked one. Freshman right-hander Keegan James started against Georgia, but he lasted 1 2/3 innings in an 11-8 loss on March 26. He didn’t allow a run, but he walked three and was pulled after 36 pitches.
Against Ole Miss, Ryan Rigby (2-1) pitched four innings in relief and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. He struck out three. Ethan Small, Blake Smith, Vance Tatum, and Reid Humphreys combined to pitch four innings, allowing four runs on four hits. They struck out three. Humphreys walked two.
The Bulldogs committed two errors, including Gavin Collins’ mishandle of a ground ball in the fifth that led to two runs. Tate Blackman hit the ball to Collins’ left and he had a chance to turn a double play and get out the inning, but the ball went under his glove and the Rebels scored two runs to make it 4-2.
“I take full blame for the couple of runs,” Collins said. “That ball has to be turned for a double play. We gave them baserunners, and I think that was the difference.”
After trailing 2-0, MSU tied the game on a double by Elih Marrero in the second. Ole Miss scored two runs in the fifth on a single by Colby Bortles, a run in the sixth, and a run in the eighth to push its lead to 6-2, but Nathaniel Lowe hit a solo home run over the left-center field wall and Collins hit a two-run home run that sailed over the left field fence to cut it to 6-5.
Ole Miss answered with two runs in the ninth. Henri Lartigue (3-for-5, three RBIs) had a two-run single off Humphreys to give the Rebels some insurance runs.
The Bulldogs outhit the Rebels 11-10.
“We’ll figure it out,” Collins said. “That’s one of the brands of our team, we’re going to figure things out. It’s not a big deal because this team is good enough to win all three games in a series.”
Collins, Lowe, and Jake Mangum had two hits for MSU.
Wyatt Short (2-1) pitched four innings in relief to earn the win. He allowed all three of his runs in the eighth. He walked none and struck out one on 44 pitches.
MSU will play host to Tennessee-Martin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The matchup originally was scheduled as a doubleheader.
Cohen said Konnor Pilkington, who has started three midweek games, might be an option Sunday at Florida. Regardless, Cohen is optimistic about Sunday pitching and feels he and pitching coach Wes Johnson will find somebody.
“There’s plenty of competition,” Cohen said. “We’ve got several arms we have not given that opportunity to start yet, and we’re going to find that guy.”
n In other news, junior center fielder Jacob Robson was lifted in the fourth. Cohen said he couldn’t grip the bat with his right hand.
“We’ll re-evaluate him and give him a week to get ready, or little bit less than a week to go to Florida. Hopefully he’ll be ready to go by the weekend,” Cohen said.
MSU announced an attendance of 31,831 for the series, which was the largest non-Super Bulldog Weekend crowd.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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