STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball coach Andy Cannizaro asked Brent Rooker at 6:30 a.m. Monday to do something he hadn’t done all season: play first base.
Rooker agreed because MSU’s injuries have expanded from its pitching staff to its position players.
Despite the setbacks, MSU continued to win Monday, beating Columbia 11-8 for its fourth-straight victory. MSU will try to extend that streak at 6:30 tonight when it plays host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff before it opens Southeastern Conference play this weekend at Arkansas.
A pitching staff that already has been ravaged by Tommy John surgery — four pitchers out before Kale Breaux joined them late last week — was without one of its best performers, freshman Riley Self. Cannizaro said Self, who has pitched more innings than any MSU non-starter, is dealing with an “arm issue.” He is slated to get re-evaluated later this week. Cannizaro hopes he can return this weekend.
In addition to not having Self, MSU also was without Ryan Rigby, who is recovering from a groin injury.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s the hand you’re dealt,” Cannizaro said. “We have to be as great offensively as we can be with 11 runs and 11 hits, and those kinds of things are what we need to do until we get to full strength on the mound.”
The lineup isn’t at full strength, either. Second baseman Hunter Stovall was held out Monday after he aggravated his hamstring injury Sunday in a doubleheader. Cannizaro said Stovall won’t play today in an attempt to get him back for the series at Arkansas.
MSU also was without senior catcher Josh Lovelady all weekend and infielder Harrison Bragg on Monday. The absences left MSU with 10 position players Monday, which forced Cannizaro to shift Rooker from designated hitter to first base. Elijah MacNamee served as designated hitter Monday, while Cody Brown, who played first base earlier in the weekend, started at second base in Stovall’s place. Catcher Dustin Skelton occupied Stovall’s regular No. 9 slot in the lineup.
“The tinkering had everything to do with trying to get available bodies on the field,” Cannizaro said.
The new combination struggled to start: Columbia led 6-0 in the third inning. Starting pitcher Jacob Billingsley, typically MSU’s Tuesday starter, was called on to start and was chased after 2 2/3 innings after walking five and allowing five hits and six earned runs.
“We talked about trying to do everything we can to start the games better, and today we didn’t do a good job coming out ready to play,” Cannizaro said.
All of that changed in the bottom of the third, as MSU tied the game. Jake Mangum started the inning by getting hit by a pitch. The Bulldogs capitalized on seven walks — three scored — and Rooker’s bases-loaded double. The hit was part of a six-RBI day for Rooker.
“I want to drive in a lot of runs this year,” Rooker said. “Jake (Mangum), (Luke Alexander) and (Ryan) Gridley do a great job of setting the table most of the time, so give credit to those guys. We could’ve easily just caved early in the game and taken a loss, but we didn’t do that, and that shows signs of growing up from this team. It shows signs of maturity.”
MSU re-tied the game on solo home runs by Gridley in the fourth and right fielder Tanner Poole in the fifth. Rooker’s two-run home run put MSU up for good in the sixth. His sacrifice fly in the seventh produced his final RBI.
Cole Gordon and Trey Jolly kept the offense within striking distance by throwing 6 1/3 innings in relief. They combined to allow six hits and two runs. Gordon pitched a career-high 3 1/3 innings. Jolly struck out five in three scoreless innings.
“Cole Gordon and Trey Jolly were outstanding in the middle part of the game and at the end of the game, gave us a chance to win the ballgame,” Cannizaro said. “Both of those guys did a great job attacking the strike zone, making the other team swing, knowing we’re going to play well defensively behind those guys.”
MSU’s injuries kept Cannizaro from naming a starter for today’s game. He joked pitching coach Gary Henderson is looking into pitching.
“It might just be one of these games where we try to get eight or nine guys to give us one inning,” Cannizaro said.
n No. 18 Ole Miss will take on Nicholls: At Biloxi, Ole Miss (11-5) will take on Nicholls (9-6) at 7 tonight at MGM Park.
The meeting will be the first between the teams in 11 years.
Ole Miss, which is coming off a weekend shutout of Furman, is scheduled to start freshman left-hander Ryan Rolison (2-0, 2.38 earned run average).
n In related news, David Parkinson was named SEC Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon. Pitching a career-long eight scoreless innings versus Furman on Friday, the junior left-hander earned his first weekly accolade as a Rebel.
n Southern Mississippi will play host to Columbia: At Hattiesburg, Southern Mississippi (11-4) will play host to Columbia (0-7) at 6 tonight at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
The teams will wrap up the two-game series at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Hattiesburg.
Left-hander Stevie Powers (2-0, 2.45 earned run average) is scheduled to start for Southern Miss, which shut out Xavier twice Saturday.
n Alabama will play host to Eastern Illinois, Samford: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama (9-6) will play host to Eastern Illinois at 3 p.m. today and Samford at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The times for both games were moved up from 6 p.m. due to cold weather conditions each night.
Freshman left-hander Garret Rukes is scheduled to start today for Alabama.
Eastern Illinois enters the game with a 1-13 record., while Samford is 9-5. It has a game scheduled for today against Jacksonville State.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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