HOOVER, Ala. — Mississippi State baseball coach Andy Cannizaro had a question as the clock struck 11 p.m. Friday: “What day is it?”
After four games in three days, including two Friday, Cannizaro finally could take a breath after a whirlwind ride through the Southeastern Conference tournament. That journey ended with a 9-2 loss to fourth-seeded Arkansas at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The loss came on the heels of a 12-3 loss to top-seeded Florida earlier in the day.
Arkansas (41-16) used a six-run sixth inning to break open a 1-1 game and send MSU home. Florida used an 11-run eighth to erase a 3-0 deficit and drop MSU (36-24) into the losers’ bracket.
Against Arkansas, Blaine Knight (8-4) and Jake Reindl held the Bulldogs to five hits and runs in the second and seventh.
Arkansas’ six-run frame featured a home run, a walk and five more hits, including three extra-base hits.
Cannizaro feels the stresses the SEC tournament puts on a pitching staff contributed to the ability of Florida and Arkansas to put together big innings against his team. He doesn’t feel the Bulldogs will face the same stressors early in the NCAA tournament.
“This tournament is more difficult to navigate than an NCAA Regional,” Cannizaro said. “With an NCAA Regional, you have to win three ballgames, I think we had to win five games to win this whole thing, and we’re not built for that.”
MSU starting pitcher Jacob Billingsley allowed three hits and three runs (all earned) in five innings. He walked five and struck out five. Trey Jolly and Parker Ford helped complete the sixth. Trysten Barlow also pitched in relief, as did Brent Rooker, who recorded the final out to become the Bulldogs’ 20th pitcher this season.
“Jacob Billingsley was outstanding,” Cannizaro said. “He got us halfway through the ballgame in a 1-1 tie.”
MSU scored in the second when Hunter Stovall and Cody Brown had hits. An error scored the run.
Brown, who had two of the team’s five hits, hit his seventh home run in the seventh.
Cannizaro said MSU will have Saturday off and very little Sunday before it learns its destination Monday for the NCAA tournament. ESPN2 will broadcast the show live at 11 a.m. Most projections have MSU outside of the top 16, so it likely will have to travel to a regional site.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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