There's not a lot to say. Ole Miss did next to nothing offensively against one of the SEC''s worst pitching staffs that was saving arms for the weekend. The Rebels had four hits and were 2-for-13 with runners on and 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
The eventual winning run came in the sixth inning for MSU. Dakota Jordan reached on a passed ball, stole second base, went to third on a throwing error and then scored on a fly ball lost in the lights. That about sums up where things are right now. On a night where the pitchers performed very well, they got zero help offensively or defensively.
Kemp Alderman reached base three times, with two hits, and Calvin Harris walked twice. Garrett Wood had the lone RBI on a ground out. He struck out twice in his other two at-bats. I would still play him some this weekend. He has only had multiple at-bats in one other game this season. Give him a chance to play and see some pitches. It can't get worse.
The bullpen didn't allow an earned run in 5.1 innings. There's not a dominant arm, but the pitching staff has made strides. The bullpen is severely limited, but I see improvement overall. The freshmen are growing up some. Ole Miss will finish the year with freshmen throwing more than 50 percent of the innings at this pace. That speaks to injuries, but it also speaks to lack of pitching staff development. Or players who shouldn't be rostered. It's impossible to differentiate that always.
Will Furniss is starting to figure it out. Buy that stock. It's not a shock that Eddy Furniss' kid can hit, but it's still worth mentioning that you're seeing him grow up as he gets consistent at-bats.
We'll obviously dissect where the program is and where it has to go soon. It's not time yet, but the time is coming quickly.
Recap:
Ole Miss (21-20) and Mississippi State (24-17) competed in the annual Governor’s Cup game Tuesday night at Trustmark Park with the Bulldogs taking home the win 2-1.
Kemp Alderman went 2-for-3 with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 36 games. Rebel pitching allowed just one earned run on four hits while striking out 10 Bulldogs. The 10 punchouts extended the team’s double-digit streak to five games.
The Bulldogs opened the game with back-to-back doubles in the first inning to take a quick 1-0 lead just three batters in. Grayson Saunier started the game on the mound for the Rebels and was able to settle in after the first inning. He allowed just one hit after the first-inning doubles and struck out four over 3.2 innings of work.
Mississippi State took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning as Dakota Jordan reached base on a dropped third strike, stole second base, moved to third base on a failed pickoff attempt, and scored on a double to left field.
Brayden Jones, Sam Tookoian, and Mason Nichols worked 5.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one unearned run on two hits while striking out six total.
Ole Miss scored their lone run in the seventh inning when Anthony Calarco was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a single by Will Furniss. Garrett Wood drove him in with an RBI-groundout to second base to make it 2-1.
The Rebels had two runners on with one out in the eighth inning but could not bring either of them home. Ole Miss went down in order in the ninth and the Bulldogs reclaimed the Governor’s Cup trophy.
Ole Miss will host the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend for a three-game series in Oxford.
The eventual winning run came in the sixth inning for MSU. Dakota Jordan reached on a passed ball, stole second base, went to third on a throwing error and then scored on a fly ball lost in the lights. That about sums up where things are right now. On a night where the pitchers performed very well, they got zero help offensively or defensively.
Kemp Alderman reached base three times, with two hits, and Calvin Harris walked twice. Garrett Wood had the lone RBI on a ground out. He struck out twice in his other two at-bats. I would still play him some this weekend. He has only had multiple at-bats in one other game this season. Give him a chance to play and see some pitches. It can't get worse.
The bullpen didn't allow an earned run in 5.1 innings. There's not a dominant arm, but the pitching staff has made strides. The bullpen is severely limited, but I see improvement overall. The freshmen are growing up some. Ole Miss will finish the year with freshmen throwing more than 50 percent of the innings at this pace. That speaks to injuries, but it also speaks to lack of pitching staff development. Or players who shouldn't be rostered. It's impossible to differentiate that always.
Will Furniss is starting to figure it out. Buy that stock. It's not a shock that Eddy Furniss' kid can hit, but it's still worth mentioning that you're seeing him grow up as he gets consistent at-bats.
We'll obviously dissect where the program is and where it has to go soon. It's not time yet, but the time is coming quickly.
Recap:
Ole Miss (21-20) and Mississippi State (24-17) competed in the annual Governor’s Cup game Tuesday night at Trustmark Park with the Bulldogs taking home the win 2-1.
Kemp Alderman went 2-for-3 with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 36 games. Rebel pitching allowed just one earned run on four hits while striking out 10 Bulldogs. The 10 punchouts extended the team’s double-digit streak to five games.
The Bulldogs opened the game with back-to-back doubles in the first inning to take a quick 1-0 lead just three batters in. Grayson Saunier started the game on the mound for the Rebels and was able to settle in after the first inning. He allowed just one hit after the first-inning doubles and struck out four over 3.2 innings of work.
Mississippi State took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning as Dakota Jordan reached base on a dropped third strike, stole second base, moved to third base on a failed pickoff attempt, and scored on a double to left field.
Brayden Jones, Sam Tookoian, and Mason Nichols worked 5.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one unearned run on two hits while striking out six total.
Ole Miss scored their lone run in the seventh inning when Anthony Calarco was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a single by Will Furniss. Garrett Wood drove him in with an RBI-groundout to second base to make it 2-1.
The Rebels had two runners on with one out in the eighth inning but could not bring either of them home. Ole Miss went down in order in the ninth and the Bulldogs reclaimed the Governor’s Cup trophy.
Ole Miss will host the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend for a three-game series in Oxford.
