Ole Miss made a statement with a sweep of LSU, while Mississippi State was on the wrong side of the broom and Southern Miss dropped another conference series.
In arguably one of the most heated series of the weekend nationally, No. 25 Ole Miss took all three from No. 24 LSU in a matchup marked by a viral fan altercation that resulted in an arrest. Ole Miss (26-11, 8-7 SEC) won game one 6-3, before securing the series dominantly on Saturday, earning a 12-2 run-rule victory. On Sunday, Mike Bianco’s club blew a 7-0 lead, with LSU tying in the top of the seventh, but found a way to squeak out an 8-7 win to get the sweep.
Rebel ace Hunter Elliott had a solid outing, backed up by eight strikeouts in six innings, but Brandon native Walker Hooks (3-0) got the win on Friday after fanning three batters in three innings. Cade Townsend (3-1) earned the win on Saturday after recording eight strikeouts and only allowing two runs on six hits in six innings. Hudson Calhoun (3-2) got the win on Sunday, though starter Taylor Rabe did the heavy lifting with five strikeouts in six innings.
Leading the way for Ole Miss offensively were designated hitter Owen Paino, who had four hits, a home run, and five RBI, along with first baseman Will Furniss, who logged six hits and five RBI.
No. 9 Mississippi State (26-10, 7-8 SEC) continued to slump after being swept at home by Georgia last weekend. The Bulldogs found themselves behind the 8-ball early, with a raucous home crowd at Dudy Noble Field unable to will them to victory. Brian O’Connor’s club dropped game one to Tennessee, 6-5, and lost the series on Saturday, 6-2. The maroon and white were unable to salvage Sunday’s game, as it fell in the finale 7-2.
Mississippi State was once again without ace Ryan McPherson, and despite a solid game-one performance by sure-handed lefty Tomas Valincius, the effort did not contribute to a win. Tyler Pitzer (0-2), Duke Stone (5-1), and Charlie Foster (0-2) were handed the losses in the series. Stone was especially rough, as he surrendered 11 hits and five earned runs in 5.2 innings on Saturday. Reed Stallman was about the only bright spot offensively. He had four hits, two home runs, and three RBI.
No. 10 Southern Miss dropped its second conference series of the season in a 6-5 Sunday rubber match heartbreaker to Louisiana. The Golden Eagles (25-11, 8-7 Sun Belt) dominated game one 8-1 on Friday, then were on the wrong side of an 8-4 final on Saturday.
Grayden Harris (6-1) earned the only win for the black and gold of the weekend, as the standout sophomore recorded a whopping 10 strikeouts and surrendered just one run on four hits through six innings on Friday. Camden Sunstrom (2-3) took the loss on Saturday after giving up four runs in four innings. Josh Och (3-1) was tabbed with Sunday’s loss, though starter Thomas Crabtree was responsible for three runs in the first two frames.
Davis Gillespie was the most productive Golden Eagle at the plate with four hits, one home run, and three RBI. Matthew Russo had a solid first game with a home run and two RBI but was silent the rest of the way.
Next up
Ole Miss and Southern Miss will square off at Trustmark Park on Tuesday night, while Mississippi State’s midweek matchup will occur in Birmingham and against Samford.
The Rebels will play at Tennessee over the weekend, while the Bulldogs battle at South Carolina and the Golden Eagles host Texas State.