J.B. Woodman belted a two-run homer in the first to give No. 9 Ole Miss an early lead, but a complete game by Alex Lange lifted No. 8 LSU to a 6-3 victory Friday night at Swayze Field. The result evened the series between the Rebels (32-12, 11-9 SEC) and Tigers (28-15, 11-9), setting up a rubber match on Saturday.
Woodman continued his hot streak with another multi-hit night, his 17th of the season. Woodman went 2-for-3, scoring two of the three Ole Miss runs and blasting his team-leading sixth home run of the season. Sophomore Tate Blackman raked a triple for the first time in his Ole Miss career, reaching base for the 29th game out the last 30 for the Rebels.
Once again, the Ole Miss bullpen turned in a solid night as Connor Green and Brady Feigl threw a combined 4.1 innings. Feigl tossed 2.2 scoreless innings without surrendering a hit to keep the Tigers from extending their lead.
For LSU, Lange (5-3) went the distance while allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Jordan Romero paced the Tigers with a 2-for-2 night that included a homer and three RBI. Greg Deichmann, Beau Jordan and Bryce Jordan all went 2-for-4 on the night to help LSU to the win.
Both LSU and Ole Miss put runs on the board during their first chances to bat. In the opening frame, the Tigers posted a run on a sacrifice fly to left field. Without any further damage, Parkinson headed back to the dugout as the Rebel bats got their turn. With two outs, Blackman stepped up to the dish and cranked a triple to right field. Just one pitch later, Woodman ripped a two-run home run to the student section in right field, flipping the script and turning the game in favor of Ole Miss, 2-1.
LSU managed to score once again in the second inning on two hits. The Tigers also tallied two runs in the top half of the third inning after a two-run home run, making it a 4-2 contest.
Woodman’s solid weekend continued when he placed a leadoff bunt for a base hit in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Woodman advanced to second on a wild pitch before racing to third on Henri Lartigue’s groundout. With a run 90 feet away, Golsan sent a RBI single up the middle to plate Woodman and cut the LSU lead to 4-3.
Shortly after scoring a run, Woodman managed to save a run for the Rebels. With Green on the mound, and LSU’s Romero on second base, Bryce Jordan singled up the middle. Fielding in center, Woodman scooped up the ball and made the on-target throw to gun down the runner at home. Romero was called out on the collision with Lartigue, an automatic ejection from the game, and the run was kept off the board.
LSU jumped on a Rebel miscue and scored a run on a throwing error during a sacrifice bunt attempt. Another run was added later in the inning that extended the visiting team’s advantage to three runs.
Feigl entered the game in the seventh inning for the Rebels. The righty kept the Tigers from scoring for the remainder of the game. However, Lange held the Ole Miss bats in check after settling in, and the Tigers took game two for a final score of 6-3.
Ole Miss and LSU return for game three of the series tomorrow at Swayze Field. The finale will take place Saturday morning with first pitch set for 11 a.m. CT. Freshman James McArthur will make his first SEC start, matching up against LSU senior John Valek III. Students are invited to show up early as 500 pounds of crawfish will be free for the taking out in right field. As the Rebels look to take the series, fans from out of town can catch the action of the nationally televised game on ESPN2.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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