On Friday night, the Ole Miss Rebels baseball team suffered a 5-3 loss to in-state rival Mississippi State in the second game of a three game series.
The offense was consistent in getting hits and putting runners on base, but converting those hits into runs was difficult for the team. The Rebels had the bases loaded in the first inning and failed to score any runs off of that.
“We’ve got to convert in the clutch,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “We get hits but we’re not getting guys home”.
Pitching continued to be a strength for the Rebels, just as it has been all season. Junior David Parkinson was a bright spot for the team during his rare start on the mound. As the game went on though, he lost the sting he had in the first couple innings, letting up two home runs in back to back innings.. The leftie earned eight strikeouts over five and two thirds innings. He let up five runs in his start and moved his season record to 4-2.
Sophomore Brady Feigl came on in relief and stuck out batters left and right. He finished the night without allowing a single run in four innings for the Rebels.
Nick Fortes led the way offensively for the Rebels. In his second start in three games, he went three for four with two RBIs. His performance kept the game close for the Rebels as the teams progressed into later innings.
“It’s hard to keep a rhythm,” Fortes said. “You just gotta stay positive”
The bats went silent in the later innings and neither offense scored from the 5th inning on.
Mississippi State’s offense caught fire in the third inning and never looked back. State remained aggressive on the base path the whole night which led to defensive problems for the Rebels. State’s defense bent but never broke throughout the duration of the game. After the first inning pitching change, State’s pitching held the Rebels to minimal offense throughout the rest of the game.
First Baseman Brent Rooker led the way for the Bulldog offense with a homerun a double and two RBIs. His offense kept the Rebels out of reach through the whole evening.
The Rebels are now down 0-2 in the series and they will play again on Saturday against the Bulldogs hoping to avoid a series sweep to their SEC and in state rivals. The Rebels now have a 3-5 record in SEC play and 16-11 overall. The Bulldogs improve to 18-10 and 5-3 in the SEC.
