Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss flushed last week’s rough opening to conference play with series wins this weekend.
The No. 6 Bulldogs (20-4, 4-2 SEC) returned home with a vengeance after dropping two of three games at Arkansas one weekend ago. Brian O’Connor’s club got the broom out to mount a clean sweep against a Vanderbilt club that won its opening SEC series versus reigning national champion LSU. Mississippi State won Friday’s game 4-2 before earning a 7-2 victory on Saturday, and the cherry on top was Sunday’s 17-7 mauling in a shortened contest.
Designated hitter Noah Sullivan had a strong offensive weekend for the maroon and white, recording seven hits, a home run, and four RBI. Catcher Kevin Milewski was also solid at the plate, mounting three hits, two long balls, and five RBI.
Jack Gleason (2-0) got the win on Friday after coming in for ace Ryan McPherson, who had to exit the game with an injury. Tomas Valincius (5-0) took home the win on Saturday after logging a whopping 14 strikeouts over seven innings. Duke Stone (4-0) was credited with Sunday’s win, despite the Commodores scoring six runs in his four innings on the bump.
Ole Miss (19-6, 3-3 SEC) notched a home series win over No. 15 Kentucky in Oxford. Mike Bianco’s club took care of business on Thursday with a 5-0 shutout before falling 3-1 on Friday, then walked away with a 12-9 victory on Saturday. Rebel left fielder Daniel Pacella hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning in game three to take a 5-2 lead, just for the Wildcats to put up a six-spot in the very next frame. But the red and blue punched back effectively to win.
Right fielder Tristan Bissetta was the shining star for Ole Miss early in the series and finished the weekend with three hits, two home runs, and four RBI. First baseman Will Furniss played an integral role in Saturday’s win and capped the series with four hits, a home run, and three RBI.
Ace pitcher Hunter Elliott (3-0) earned the win on Thursday after logging six strikeouts and only four hits in 6.1 clean innings. Walker Hooks (1-0) proved to be a hero in his longest stint on the mound of his collegiate career. The Brandon native earned Sunday’s victory with five strikeouts and only one earned run in 4.2 innings. Bullpen arm Hudson Calhoun (1-1) filled in for injured Saturday starter Cade Townsend, and while effective, was tabbed with the loss as the offense struggled to hit the ball.
No. 12 Southern Miss (19-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) slammed the back door shut on Troy in their first home conference series of the season. Christian Ostrander’s club dropped Friday’s matchup 6-5, then trounced the Trojans 11-5 on Saturday, and scored five unanswered runs to earn a 5-4 victory on Sunday.
Left fielder Davis Gillespie had a hot bat for the black and gold, recording five hits, two home runs, and three RBI over the weekend, while second baseman Kyle Morrison had a solid four hits, two home runs, and three RBI.
Grayden Harris (4-1), in a newfound role as the Friday starter, had the lone loss after surrendering five earned runs and 10 hits in 5.1 innings. Relief arms Kros Sivley (3-0) and Camden Clark (4-0) got the wins on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Sivley had five strikeouts and gave up only one earned run in 5.2 innings, as Clark had four strikeouts in 2.1 clean innings to secure the series.
Next up
An intertangled week lies ahead for all three clubs. Mississippi State will host Southern Miss on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT, then will travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss over the weekend. Ole Miss will travel to Memphis on Tuesday for a midweek outing beginning at 6 p.m. CT before hosting the Bulldogs. Southern Miss will welcome Appalachian State to Pete Taylor Park over the weekend after playing Mississippi State in the midweek.