No. 9 Ole Miss Falls 2-0 to No. 3 Mississippi State

In front of a sellout crowd at Trustmark Park, No. 9 Ole Miss saw its five-game winning streak come to an end as No. 3 Mississippi State claimed the 2016 Governor’s Cup, 2-0. The crowd of 8,542 was the largest in Trustmark Park history.

Henri Lartigue and J.B. Woodman both continued their hot hitting with two hits apiece. Lartigue put together his fourth straight multi-hit game, and Woodman produced his team-leading 15th game with multiple hits. Ole Miss (31-11) out-hit Mississippi State (28-13-1) 9-8, but stranded 11 on base. Seven different Rebels recorded a hit, including Errol Robinson who has now registered a hit in 14 of his last 15 games.

Junior starting pitcher Chad Smith (3-4) allowed two runs on six hits over 5.0 innings. In relief, freshman Connor Green tossed a pair of scoreless frames and recorded three strikeouts. Fellow classmate Dallas Woolkfolk also pitched one inning and did not allow a run.

For MSU, Nathaniel Lowe and Reid Humphreys combined for four of the team’s eight hits while knocking in both runs. Zac Houston (3-0) got the victory for his 2.2 innings of relief. Jacob Billingsley (1) claimed Governor’s Cup MVP honors by pitching the final 2.1 frames to earn his first save of the season.

As the designated home team for the neutral site matchup, Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Smith recorded three strikeouts in the frame, but a pair of singles and a walk plated the game’s first run. Two innings later, the Bulldogs used a walk, a wild pitch and single to double their advantage.

In the top of the sixth, a perfect bunt single by Woodman followed by a blooper by Colby Bortles placed two Rebels on base. However, a Will Golsan liner up the middle was snagged on a diving play by the MSU second baseman, preventing an RBI single and keeping the game at 2-0.

Ole Miss had another opportunity in the seventh, starting a two-out rally that put a pair of Rebels in scoring position. Robinson was hit by a pitch before Ryan Olenek put together a quality at-bat that resulted in a base hit. After fouling off multiple pitches to stay alive, the freshman singled to left field. Robinson motored to third, while Olenek advanced to second on the throw. After the Bulldogs decided to go to the bullpen, they got out of the inning unscathed.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Rebels countered by getting out of a jam of their own. With two runners in scoring position and the Ole Miss infield coming in for a play at the plate, Green recorded a big strikeout. Following an intentional walk, the right hander forced a groundout to end the inning as the game’s margin remained at two.

The Rebels put two runners on in the eighth, but MSU continued to stop Ole Miss threats. Billingsley sent the Rebels down in order in the ninth for the 2-0 final.

Ole Miss returns home for a conference series versus LSU (April 28-30). The three-game set with the Tigers begins Thursday night at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. Game two will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday night on SECN+, while Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with an 11 a.m. first pitch. The Rebels’ will also be celebrating Alumni Weekend, bringing back former Ole Miss baseball players which includes members of the 1956 College World Series team.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports