
State Rallies To Finish Four-Game Weekend Unblemished
March 13, 2017 | Baseball
The Bulldogs (11-6) won all four games played during the weekend with a pair of victories against South Alabama and Columbia. Monday's win came after the Bulldogs erased deficits of 6-0, 7-6 and 8-7.
"It was a rough start," head coach Andy Cannizaro said. "We didn't start the game very well. I really have to give our guys credit for not giving up. It was a home game in the rain, down 6-0, we kept battling. The six-run inning brought a lot of life back to our dugout.
"We had some good at-bats over the final seven innings. Other than a few spots, we defended it well throughout the weekend. Columbia has hitters throughout their lineup."
The Bulldogs collected 11 hits and stranded 10 base runners.
Brent Rooker led the way with two hits and six RBIs – his third game of five or more RBIs this season. Ryan Gridley had his third three-hit game of the season. Tanner Poole added his third multi-hit game of the season.
Columbia built the early lead with two runs in the first inning and four more scores in the third inning.
MSU scored six times on only one base hit to tie the contest in the third inning. The hit was a big three-run double by Rooker which came after two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases. Five more walks followed in the frame with the Lions walking in three straight runs to tie the contest.
The next two rallies involved the long ball. Gridley homered to tie the game in the fourth inning, while Poole did the same in the fifth inning.
In the sixth inning, Gridley again got things going with a leadoff double. Rooker gave the Maroon and White the lead for good with a two-run shot to right field. A sacrifice fly by Rooker ended the scoring one inning later.
The Bulldogs have now homered 17 times in 17 games. Rooker hit his fifth of the season, while it was the second for both Gridley and Poole. Rooker has a team-best 26 RBIs.
On the mound, the Bulldogs got a huge lift from junior right-hander Trey Jolly. Jolly allowed three hits over three innings of scoreless work for his first save. Junior right-hander Jacob Billingsley drew the start but was lifted during the Columbia four-run third inning.
Cole Gordon (1-0) finished the third inning and was touched for single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The Bulldogs struck out 13, while allowing 11 hits on the mound.
"Trey and Cole both did a great job for us," Cannizaro said. "Both of those guys are battling for innings. Trey came out and just put zeros. Cole came in and got the game settled back down for us."
Columbia had four hits from Ben Porter. Randell Kanemaru had two hits and four RBIs. Kanemaru hit a two-run home run to give the Lions a 4-0 lead.
Jordan Chriss (0-1) threw two innings in middle relief to take the loss.
State will retake the field at Dudy Noble on Tuesday for a midweek matchup with Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6:30 p.m. CT. The contest will air live on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
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WEEKEND RESULTS
Friday, March 10, 2017
G1 – South Alabama 4, Columbia 1
G2 – Mississippi State 2, South Alabama 0
Sunday, March 12, 2017
G3 – Mississippi State 5, Columbia 4
G4 – Mississippi State 8, South Alabama 6
G5 – South Alabama 4, Columbia 3
Monday, March 13, 2017
G6 – Mississippi State 11, Columbia 8
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gordon, Cole (1-0)
L: Chriss, Jordan (0-1)
S: Jolly, Trey (1)
Batting:
2B: Porter, Ben 2 ; Kanemaru, Randell 1 ; Robinette, Lane 1
HR: Kanemaru, Randell 1
RBI: Kanemaru, Randell 4 ; Bartelman, Kyle 1 ; McGill, Liam 1 ; Engel, Joe 1
SF: Bartelman, Kyle 1 ; McGill, Liam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bury, Julian 1 ; Porter, Ben 2 ; Kanemaru, Randell 2 ; McGill, Liam 1 ; DiFillipo, AJ 1 ; Engel, Joe 1
SB: Porter, Ben 1 ; DiFillipo, AJ 1 ; Engel, Joe 1

Batting:
2B: Mangum, Jake 1 ; Gridley, Ryan 1 ; Rooker, Brent 1
HR: Gridley, Ryan 1 ; Rooker, Brent 1 ; Poole, Tanner 1
RBI: Mangum, Jake 1 ; Gridley, Ryan 1 ; Rooker, Brent 6 ; Poole, Tanner 2 ; Skelton, Dustin 1
SF: Rooker, Brent 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mangum, Jake 2 ; Alexander, Luke 1 ; Gridley, Ryan 3 ; Rooker, Brent 2 ; Brown, Cody 1 ; MacNamee, Elijah 1 ; Poole, Tanner 1
SB: Gridley, Ryan 1 ; Brown, Cody 1
CS: Gridley, Ryan 1
HBP: Mangum, Jake 1 ; Gridley, Ryan 1
PO: Blaylock, Brant 1