The Mississippi State baseball team staved off an Ole Miss comeback on Saturday night to win the series and keep postseason hopes alive.
The Bulldogs were leading 6-1 after six innings, but the No. 24 Rebels managed two-run frames in the top of the seventh and eighth innings. The four runs were highlighted by a Colin Reuter pinch-hit home run, his second of the weekend.
With the score at 6-5 and Ole Miss in striking distance, Mississippi State freshman pitcher Ryan McPherson entered the game in the top of the ninth with runners on first and second and no one out. The righty wiggled out of trouble before slamming the door on his second save of the season.
Mississippi State’s Saturday night offense included 13 hits, three of which came off the bat of Ace Reese. Gehrig Frei, Sawyer Reeves, Bryce Chance, and Gatlin Sanders each collected a pair of hits.
Karson Ligon (5-5) got the start on the mound for Mississippi State and earned the win, pitching five innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run. Mason Nichols (3-2) suffered the loss for Ole Miss.
Saturday’s game, which was moved up from Sunday as the teams tried to work around severe weather in the Starkville area, came after a double header on Friday night. The Rebels grabbed the first game, 10-4, as Hunter Elliott had a strong outing on the mound and the offense was working on all cylinders. Game two saw Mississippi State’s Evan Siary work eight innings, striking out 15 Rebels on the way to 4-1 win.
Postseason projections
While Ole Miss (34-17, 14-13 SEC) is virtually a regional shoo-in, the Rebels’ chances at hosting were lessened with the series loss to Mississippi State (31-20, 12-15). The Bulldogs badly needed to win to keep regional hopes alive. Since firing head coach Chris Lemonis amid what had been a lackluster season, Mississippi State is 6-1 and trending in the right direction with one week remaining before the conference tournament.
Next up
Both teams are scheduled to play their final nonconference game of the regular season on Tuesday. Mississippi State hosts North Alabama with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. Ole Miss will also be at home, squaring off against UT Martin at 6:30 p.m. Next weekend, the team’s will play their final SEC series as the Rebels host No. 8 Auburn and the Bulldogs head to Missouri, who is winless in conference play.
The SEC Tournament will be held in Hoover, Ala., from May 20-25. The 64-team field of the NCAA tournament will be announced Monday, May 26.
