Ole Miss didn’t look like a team headed for a run-rule win early on, but the Rebels flipped the script in a hurry.
After weathering an early LSU push, both the pitching staff and lineup settled in, turning a slow start into a dominant, complete performance that set up a chance to sweep the defending national champions.
On the Mound
It was asked jokingly to Hunter Elliott after Friday night’s game, but he’s not the only one to pitch better after bad things happened.
Like a boxer taking the first punch of a match, Cade Townsend took his from LSU in the first two innings. A two-out double in the RBI led to LSU’s first run and sacrifice fly in the second made it 2-0.
But once he took those punches, Townsend started throwing his own haymakers and shut down the Tigers.
LSU got four of its six hits in the first two innings before Townsend shut the Tigers down. He struck out five more batters in the next four innings and didn’t give up any walks.
Hudson Calhoun finished off the Tigers once the run-rule came into play thanks to the Rebels’ offense coming to life once it ran off the Tigers’ starting pitcher, William Schmidt. Calhoun didn’t allow a single base runner and recorded one strikeout with just 11 pitches thrown.
At the Plate
Ole Miss began the game very quiet at the plate, but sometimes you just have to be patient. That worked for the Rebels.
Schmidt was great for LSU for three innings and then the wheels fell off.
From there, Ole Miss turned a slow start into a full-on avalanche, scoring 12 runs on just nine hits and never really letting LSU breathe again. It wasn’t loud early, but the Rebels kept stacking traffic, kept taking walks, and eventually cracked the game open the way they’ve done a few times lately.
The middle of the order did most of the steering. Judd Utermark reached three times, scored three runs, and kept the line moving in every big inning. Owen Paino delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon with the team’s lone home run and finished with three RBIs. Aidan Fawley and Hayden Federico were efficient as well, combining for four RBIs despite only four official at-bats between them.
It wasn’t just the top half doing the work, either. Five different Rebels drove in at least one run, and several others chipped in with walks that extended innings and forced LSU to burn through arms. Even without piling up hits, Ole Miss kept applying pressure: eight walks, timely contact, and a seven-run sixth inning that turned the game into a run-rule finish.
Pitching Decisions
- WP: Cade Townsend (3-1), 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 84 TP
- LP: William Schmidt (4-3), 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 WP, 85 TP
Ole Miss Batting Leaders
- Judd Utermark: 2-3, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
- Will Furniss: 1-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
- Hayden Federico: 1-1, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
- Brayden Randle: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
- Austin Fawley: 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K
- Owen Paino: 2-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Next Up
Ole Miss will have a chance to sweep the defending national champions in Sunday’s series finale. First-pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. on SECN+.
The Rebels are slated to start Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.20 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) against LSU’s Grant Fontenot (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) on the mound.
