Ole Miss won a series win over a top 10 club, while Southern Miss earned a second consecutive sweep and Mississippi State was back-doored by a conference opponent as the regular season quickly nears its end.
In Oxford, the No. 20 Rebels (34-18, 14-13 SEC) may have been outscored 26-16 over the weekend, but the group came away with the series win over No. 9 Texas A&M. Mike Bianco’s club took game one 5-3 before being popped 18-5 in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader. In a crucial rubber match, the red and blue did what they needed to do to secure the series with a 6-5 victory.
Ole Miss leaned on stalwart pitching in the two wins, with ace Hunter Elliott (5-2) notably bouncing back from two previous rough outings. The Tupelo native fanned 11 batters over six innings in game one, allowing just two runs, one of which was earned, on five hits. Taylor Rabe one-upped his teammate in the rubber match, striking out a whopping 14 batters, though he did give up five runs in six innings. Cade Townsend (5-2) was uncharacteristically shelled by the Aggies in game two, surrendering seven runs in 3.1 innings.
Offensively, Dom Decker led the team in hits with six across the series. Judd Utermark, while not breaking the program’s home run record yet, was effective over the weekend, logging five hits with four RBI. Collin Reuter and Austin Fawley each homered in game three to help win the series.
The No. 12 Golden Eagles (37-14, 19-8 Sun Belt), after sweeping Louisiana Monroe at home last week, traveled to James Madison with brooms still in hand. Christian Ostrander’s group rallied with six runs in the seventh inning to win game one 8-5 before popping the Dukes 11-1 in a shortened game two. The black and gold kept the bats alive in the series finale, earning a 10-5 win.
Last weekend, Southern Miss leaned on its pitching after struggling to string meaningful hits together. That was not the case in the most recent series as the Golden Eagles logged a whopping 35 hits at James Madison. Ben Higdon played a crucial role at the plate, notching with five hits, a home run, and seven RBI. Drey Barrett had five hits, three RBI, and a home run.
On the mound, Colby Allen (5-1) shone in the series opener, striking out seven batters in three scoreless and hitless innings to secure a Southern Miss win. Camden Clark (7-0) followed up last weekend’s stellar showing with another solid outing, recording nine strikeouts in six scoreless innings. Josh Och (4-2) came in on Sunday and held the Dukes scoreless for two innings after the home club hit a fifth-inning grand slam to eat into what was once a 7-0 deficit. He struck out three batters in the process.
In Starkville, the No. 11 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) got off to a hot start versus No. 6 Auburn, winning game one 10-3 but could not carry that momentum into the back end of the series. Brian O’Connor’s crew suffered a narrow 5-4 loss in game two before the pendulum swung entirely in favor of the road Tigers, which 10-run ruled the maroon and white 13-2 in a shortened rubber match.
Standout left-handed hurler Tomas Valincius (8-2) was masterful in the Bulldogs’ lone win, striking out 13 batters, while only surrendering three runs on four hits in 6.2 innings. Ben Davis (0-2) was tabbed with the game-two loss after allowing Auburn to get the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, which ultimately won the Tigers the game. Ryan McPherson (3-1), in his first start since March 20, surrendered two runs, one of which was earned, on two hits in 1.1 innings. His day ended early after he suffered an ankle injury.
Ace Reese led Mississippi State in hits over the weekend with eight, adding three RBI. Ridgeland native Bryce Chance was stellar in game one, hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the first to help give his team a lead that would not be threatened. Overall, Chance had five hits, the lone home run, and six RBI in the series.
Next up
Ole Miss is scheduled to play Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday before traveling to No. 19 Alabama on Thursday, but the midweek game may be in jeopardy as the Rebels look to preserve their RPI for postseason seeding purposes.
Southern Miss will conclude the regular season at home versus Georgia Southern, with the series beginning Thursday night.
Mississippi State will end the regular season at Texas A&M, with the series beginning Thursday night.
