Errol Robinson attempts to complete a double play after forcing out Mississippi State’s Derrick Armstrong at second base during Saturday’s game. Photo: Kevin Warren, The Clarion Ledger via AP.
FRIDAY – NO. 13 OLE MISS 6, NO. 13 MISSISSIPPI STATE 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Rebels jumped out to an early lead and used solid pitching and defense to hold the Bulldogs in check as No. 13 Ole Miss (28-8, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) defeated No. 13 Mississippi State (21-14, 6-7 SEC) by a score of 6-1 in the series opener Friday night.
Junior Chris Ellis (5-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work. Freshman Wyatt Short then picked up his third save, working the final 2.1 innings with two hits and three strikeouts while holding the Bulldogs off the board.
“Chris (Ellis) was terrific tonight and his stuff was perhaps as good as it’s been in the last three or four weeks, though it may not have looked like it,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Mississippi State is good at drawing walks and they really made him work out there tonight, but he was able to buckle down and make pitches when we needed them.
“Wyatt (Short) was great and it was good for a Mississippi kid to come in and finish things off like that for us on a Friday night,” Bianco said. “It was also big to not have to use our closer. We’re playing well and really played well tonight in all phases of the game.”
SATURDAY – NO. 13 OLE MISS 5, NO. 13 MISSISSIPPI STATE 6
In a back and forth battle that saw rally after rally squelched, it came down to extra innings as No. 13 Ole Miss (28-9, 8-6 SEC) fell to No. 13 Mississippi State (22-14, 7-7 SEC) by a score of 6-5 in 10 innings.
Seven combined runs crossed the plate in the 10th inning after the two teams combined for only four runs in the previous nine innings.
Junior Sikes Orvis hit a two-run shot in the top of the 10th and junior Preston Overbey added a third run on a sac fly to center to put the Rebels in position to claim the weekend series with a win. Mississippi State answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to claim the walk-off win and force a rubber game on Sunday.
“That was a disappointing ending to the game,” said Bianco. “We played hard today and it made it tougher when they got into their bullpen with Lindgren and Holder. We kind of weathered that and Christian (Trent) gave us a chance to win with his performance. It was huge to have both (Scott) Weathersby and (Josh) Laxer get us out of jams.
“It was just disappointing because we had the game.”
SUNDAY – NO. 13 OLE MISS 12, NO. 13 MISSISSIPPI STATE 2
It was an all-around dominant performance from the Rebels on Sunday in a rubber-game as No. 13 Ole Miss (29-9, 9-6 SEC) pounded out 20 hits to race past Mississippi State (22-15, 7-8 SEC) for a 12-2 win at Dudy Noble Field.
The win clinched the weekend series for Ole Miss.
Senior Austin Anderson went 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBI, while Overbey went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored to help pace the Rebel offense. Ole Miss had six players notch multiple-hits in the game.
Junior Sam Smith (5-2) grabbed the win in his seventh consecutive quality start, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Senior Jeremy Massie then picked up his first save of the season, working the final 3.0 innings for the Rebels on the way to the win.
“We’ve had a lot of great moments this year, but yesterday was really hard,” said Bianco. “We’ve been that resilient team and we’ve been able to handle it and get back up off the mat. We did that today. I’m really proud of the way we showed up ready to play today. It’s about attitude and approach.
“Sam (Smith) was tremendous for us today and the defense was outstanding,” Bianco said. “Of course, it was all about the offense any time you get 20 hits.”
Ole Miss will return to action on Thursday night, kicking off a three-game series against No. 8 LSU in Oxford. Game one is slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on ESPNU as the SEC Thursday Night Game of the Week.
