Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe gave up just two runs against LSU in a SEC series game against LSU at Swayze Field in Oxford. | Ole Miss Athletics
Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe gave up just two runs against LSU in a SEC series game against LSU at Swayze Field in Oxford. | Ole Miss Athletics

It Looked Easy Until It Didn’t: Ole Miss Survives LSU Push to Sweep Series

BY Taylor Hodges

For five innings, Ole Miss had the kind of Sunday every team wants. A starter in control, a lineup stacking runs, and a comfortable lead that let ideas of another run-rule finish creep in.

But baseball doesn’t always follow the predictable script and LSU made sure to make Sunday’s series finale at Swayze Field very interesting.

At the Plate

LSU didn’t have its best arms to start Sunday, and Ole Miss wasted no time taking advantage. Tigers starter Grant Fontenot didn’t make it out of the first inning, giving up two runs before getting pulled. Dom Decker pushed it to 3-0 with a solo shot in the second.

Owen Paino kept his hot streak alive with a solo homer in the fourth, and two batters later Tristan Bissetta launched his 15th of the year. Will Furniss added an RBI single to make it 7-1, but the more interesting part of the afternoon was something that hasn’t always shown up for Ole Miss.

Situational hitting has been a problem all season. One at-bat won’t fix that, but what Brett Moseley and Brayden Randle did was at least a step. With no outs and a runner on second, Moseley dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Hayden Federico to third. Randle followed with a clean RBI single to bring him home. It was the kind of manufactured run this team hasn’t produced often enough.

LSU isn’t the LSU of last year, or the years before that. But seeing Ole Miss create a run like that is a welcome sight for a fan base that’s been waiting for signs of growth.

On the Mound

Taylor Rabe turned in his longest outing of the season, working six innings on 75 pitches. It will not go down as a quality start, but it was more than enough. The only damage LSU managed came on a pair of solo home runs to open the sixth. Rabe finished with five strikeouts, giving him 37 on the year and 11 in two SEC starts.

When he left, Ole Miss led 7-1 and a second run-rule win of the weekend felt possible.

LSU erased that idea quickly. Wil Libbert, who opened the year as the Sunday starter, faced six batters, gave up four runs on four hits, and recorded just two outs in the sixth. Suddenly the Tigers were back in the game.

Hudson Calhoun came in to stop the scoring, allowing only one run and getting the Rebels through the eighth. Walker Hooks handled the ninth to save the game and secure a one-run win.

There are a million variables that go into pitching, most of them known only to the pitcher and his coaches. Something in Libbert’s mix clearly is not working right now. The frustrating part is that we have seen him pitch well. He earned the series finale job for a reason, and his struggles did not show up until SEC play began.

There is still a month left in the regular season, plus the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. If Libbert can rediscover what made him that Sunday option, a good pitching staff becomes a lot better.

Pitching Decisions

  • WP: Hudson Calhoun (3-2), 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 25 TP
  • LP: Marcos Paz (0-2), 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 16 TP
  • S: Walker Hooks (2), 1 IP, 2 K, 13 TP

Ole Miss Batting Leaders

  • Dom Decker: 3-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
  • Tristan Bissetta: 1-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 K
  • Judd Utermark: 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
  • Will Furniss: 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 2B
  • Hayden Federico: 2-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HBP
  • Owen Paino: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 2 K

Next Up

Ole Miss will get a rematch against one of the instate rivals it lost to earlier this season on Tuesday when it heads to Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. to face No. 10 Southern Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on SECN+.

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