No. 5 Diamond Rebels Drop A Heartbreaker to Mississippi State in the Governor's Cup

Thomas Dillard. Photo by Steven Gagliano

The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team drops a heartbreaker in the Governor’s Cup in the bottom of the ninth to the Mississippi State Bulldogs by the score 7-6.

The diamond Rebels (32-10) dropped their first midweek game of the season.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State got into a pitcher’s duel in the first two-innings of the ballgame. The Rebels, starter Jordan Fowler stormed past the Bulldog sluggers as he retired the first six batters he faced.
The Rebels put the first run of the game up on the scoreboard in the third inning as Tim Rowe delivered an RBI double to left center which scored brought home Chase Cockrell. Rowe was making his second start in right field this season as Ryan Olenek did not play as he was dealing with a sore shoulder and did not make the trip.
Mississippi State got there first hit off of Fowler in the third and scratched across two-runs in the inning. Jake Mangum sent a double down the left field line that scored R Jordan and M Gilbert to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
Ole Miss’ left fielder Thomas Dillard put the Rebels back in front with a towering two-run homer to right field that brought Nick Fortes in to score pushing the Rebels back in the lead at 3-2.
Coach Mike Bianco brought Greer Holston into the game in the fourth and closed the door on States rally for retaking the lead in the game as the Bulldogs did knot the game back up at 3 apiece. 
Fowler finished the night giving up 5 hits, allowing 3 runs while striking out 2 batters in 3.1 innings of work.
Ole Miss retook the lead in fifth as Jacob Adams brought Rowe in to score from third base.  Rowe finished the night going three-for-three at the dish with two singles, a double and an RBI.
The Bulldogs knotted the game back up at 4 with a solo shot by Gilbert in the seventh inning. MSU went ahead on the scoreboard by the score of 5-4 in the eighth.
In the ninth, Will Golsan lead the frame off with a walk and then with one down Cockrell doubled to left that scored Golsan to knot the game up at 5 apiece. Then pinch hitter Micheal Fitzsimmons doubled to left center that scored Cockrell to take the lead.
Mississippi State answered in the bottom of ninth with a game winning double to right center off the bat of Luke Alexander to give State a 7-6 win.
Ole Miss returns to Swayze Field on Thursday as they host the LSU Tigers in a three-game series tilt.

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.