CBSB: No. 10 Mississippi State handles No. 17 Ole Miss 7-3 in Governor's Cup

For the first time since 2019, Mississippi State has earned both a clean sweep of archrival Ole Miss in a weekend series, while also winning the annual Governor’s Cup.

The No. 10 Bulldogs (35-10, 13-8 SEC) leaned on an explosive first inning, a few insurance runs, and a solid pitching performance to defeat the No. 17 Rebels (31-15, 11-10 SEC) 7-3 in front of the third-largest crowd in Trustmark Park history. Officials reported that there were 8,223 fans in attendance at the Pearl ballpark on Tuesday night.

Mississippi State catcher Kevin Milewski and right fielder Jacob Parker were the stars of the show offensively in the matchup. Milewski, a Seton Hall transfer, had three hits and two RBI, while Parker, a freshman from Purvis, had two hits and two RBI.

“It was fun. Obviously, we were playing against our rival, so we wanted to go out there and win. It was a fun game, and I thought we competed well,” Parker said, adding that the neutral site game had an interesting feel to it. “It was different. Obviously, we were competing not in Starkville and not in Oxford, but in Jackson, the capital, with a different set of fans that could come watch us play, and I thought it was special to compete in front of those fans.”

On the mound, Maddox Miller (4-2) got the win after logging two strikeouts in 1.1 scoreless innings. Dane Burns was credited with the save after keeping Ole Miss scoreless in the final two innings. Brendan Sweeney got the start for Mississippi State and recorded two strikeouts, while only surrendering two hits in three scoreless innings. As a staff, the Bulldogs had 13 strikeouts.

Brian O’Connor made a strong statement in his debut season as the maroon and white’s head man by having his club display dominance over its in-state foe. The seasoned skipper noted after the game that, when he was hired, Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum emphasized the importance of winning the Governor’s Cup — a rivalry in which the Bulldogs have a 12-6 advantage all-time.

“My third day on the job, President Keenum brought me up to his office, and he said, ‘Coach, there’s nothing more important than the Governor’s Cup.’ He was very, very clear about it. He said it more than once. I said, ‘Yes, sir. I understand,'” O’Connor said. “He’s got a tremendous amount of pride in this state and Mississippi State representing it. We’re excited to take that trophy home to him and bring it to Starkville.”

The Bulldogs jumped off to a quick start, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first, and taking a lead that would never be eclipsed. Parker got things started with an RBI single that scored Gehrig Frei. Bryce Chance later beat out a throw to first to score Noah Sullivan. An ensuing double by Milewski scored Parker and Chance. Mississippi State added an insurance run in the bottom of the second with a Parker single that scored Ace Reese.

Three scoreless innings followed, though Ole Miss threatened in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks and a hit by pitch later, the Rebels found themselves with bases loaded, two outs, and slugger Judd Utermark at the plate. Utermark, with a full count, whiffed at a ball low and away from the zone to end the frame fruitlessly.

The gut punch did not stop the red and blue from fighting, however. In the top of the sixth, Ole Miss capitalized on a two-out rally. After Topher Jones was walked and Brayden Randle was hit by a pitch, a Collin Reuter double scored both base runners. Reuter was later sent home by a Dom Decker single.

The score was 5-3 in favor of the Bulldogs, but Ole Miss had life. That life was seemingly sucked away from the team when Utermark struck out with bases loaded and two outs for the second time in the game to keep his club from adding more damage to the scoreboard.

Mississippi State effectively stole all the momentum back with two insurance runs, one of them being a sacrifice fly by Reese that scored Milewski in the bottom of the sixth, and the other being an Ole Miss throwing error that scored Aidan Teel in the bottom of the eighth. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ pitching staff did its job in keeping the Rebels from getting back on the board.

Ole Miss was led by Decker offensively, where the team struggled. The Murray State transfer was the only Rebel with a multi-hit night. Mike Bianco’s club hit .161 collectively and was 2-12 with runners on base. Utermark was especially disappointing for the red and blue, as he struck out four times in five plate appearances, and twice with bases loaded.

Owen Kelly (2-2) was credited with the loss. The right-handed Saint Louis transfer allowed five earned runs on six hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Aside from Kelly’s rough outing, the Rebels showed promise on the mound. The four bullpen arms that got action logged six strikeouts, while surrendering just two runs on six hits.