No.5 Ole Miss baseball was hoping to bring the Governors Cup back to Oxford Tuesday night but Miss State had other plans for the cup and the Rebels.
Nothing says rivalry like Ole Miss baseball and Miss State in the Governors Cup. No.5 Ole Miss was coming into the midweek non-conference showdown off a weekend series win over Georgia. The Bulldogs were riding the momentum of a series sweep of Arkansas this past weekend in Starkville. Of course, besides the rivalry of the Governors Cup both teams were also hoping to improve upon their win/loss numbers.
Naturally we expected a slug-fest and that is exactly what fans of both schools received. After a scoreless first two frames the Rebels got on the board first in the top of the 3rd with 1 run. However Miss State responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd to take the 2-1 lead into the 4th. Ole Miss answered with a 2-run shot by Thomas Dillard in the top of the 4th to retake the lead 3-2. Of course, Miss State responded again with 1 run in the bottom of the 4th to make the game 3-3.
Ole Miss regained the lead at 4-3 on 1 run in the top of the 5th. With the Rebels leading into the bottom of the 7th the Bulldogs scored 1 run to once again tie the game. With the game knotted at 4-4 the Bulldogs added another run in the bottom of the 8th to regain the lead at 5-4. The 9th inning proved to be exciting as the Rebels scored 2 runs in the top of the frame to take the 6-5 lead into the bottom of the inning. However, the Bulldogs scored 2 runs to secure the 7-6 win over Ole Miss.
FINAL | Ole Miss drops its first midweek contest of the season at Trustmark Park. The Rebels are back in action Thursday to start a three-game set against LSU. pic.twitter.com/Mti98c3Y8p
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 25, 2018
Governors Cup By The Numbers
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Freshman left-hander Jordan Fowler (4-0. 3.43) drew the start on the mound for the Rebels. Fowler went for 3.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits. Fowler had 2 Ks and 1 BB. Mike Bianco made the call in the 4th and sophomore right-hander Greer Holston (1-0, 4.19) entered the game. Holston went for 3.1 innings and allowed 1 earned run on 1 hit while getting 1 K.
Coach Mike Bianco once again made the call to the pen and senior right-hander Will Stokes (1-1. 6.13, 1) took the hill in the 7th. Stokes went for 1.1 innings and allowed 1 earned run on 1 hit with 1 K. Sophomore right-hander Parker Caracci (2-2, 2.51, 7) entered the game in the 9th and faced 4 batters. Caracci allowed 2 runs on 2 hits.
At The Plate
On the night there were 7 Rebels who combined for 10 hits while 2 Rebels had multiple hit games. Senior Tim Rowe (.286, 1 HR) who started in the absence of Ryan Olenek went 3 for 3 at the plate. Rowe had 1 RBI. Junior Chase Cockrell (.355, 4 HR) went 2 for 4 with 1 RBI. Senior Nick Fortes (.289, 7 HR) went 1 for 3 while Michael Fitzsimmons (.462, 1 HR) went 1 for 1 with 1 RBI.
Junior Jacob Adams (.271, 2 HR) and senior Will Golsan (.285, 3 HR) both went 1 for 4 at the plate with Adams getting 1 RBI. However, the right-field bomb of the night went to sophomore Thomas Dillard (.318, 9 HR). Dillard went 1 for 4 (HR) with 2 RBI.
Observations
The Rebels managed to outhit Miss State and still fell short in the game. The offense was the direct problem however when you look at one statistic you see a deficiency. The Rebels continue to leave runners stranded in games. Last night the Rebels stranded 5 runners. Of course, the Rebels scored enough runs to win the game and defensively fell apart on the rubber.
Naturally we’ve heard a few grunts and groans over the Bianco decision to intentionally walk Mangum in the bottom of the 9th. It was totally the right move to make against the Bulldog’s best hitter. It was the obvious decision to make in that particular situation. Rebel Nation shouldn’t be alarmed. Miss State is a very talented team and have had a number of huge wins over ranked opponents. Ole Miss baseball will be fine moving forward.
Up Next
No.5 Ole Miss baseball will be back in action this weekend in a three-game SEC series with LSU. First pitch from Swayze Field is set for Thursday at 7pm CT and the game will be televised via the SEC Network. Good luck to coach Mike Bianco and the Rebels. BEAT THE CORNDOGS! Hotty Toddy!