PEARL – A fast start by the Mississippi State Bulldogs put the Ole Miss Rebels in a hole they could not climb out of at Trustmark Park Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs scored five runs in the first two innings and held on for a 7-3 victory to claim the Governor’s Cup over their rival.
It’s a nine-game winning streak overall for MSU and its sixth straight win over Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs improved their overall record to 35-10 and the neutral site game against the Rebels did not count in the Southeastern Conference standings.
“It was hard-fought win and we certainly pieced it together from a pitching standpoint,” MSU head coach Brian O’Connor said.
The Bulldogs struck first in the opening inning with four runs as Jacob Parker had an RBI single, Bryce Chance had an infield single to drive in another run and Kevin Milewski had a two-run double to plate Parker and Chance.
In the second inning, Parker had another RBI single to put MSU up 5-0.
Ole Miss had a major threat in the fifth inning by loading the bases, but Bulldog pitcher Peyton Fowler stuck out Judd Utermark to end the inning without a run being scored.
A three-run sixth inning by the Rebels cut the margin to 5-3, but Utermark struck out again by Tyler Pitzer this time with the bases loaded to end the inning.
MSU pushed its lead back to four runs at 7-3 when Milewski came home on a sacrifice fly by Ace Reese in the sixth and added another run in the eighth when a bunt single by Drew Wyers allowed Aidan Teel to score.
Milewski had three hits with one being a double for the Bulldogs, while Parker and Gehrig Frei had two hits each. Feel had a double for the other extra base hit.
Brendan Sweeney was the starting pitcher for MSU and was effective. He pitched the first three innings and did not give up a run on two hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Sweeney was followed to the mound by Maddox Miller, Fowler, Chris Billingsley, Pitzer and Dane Burns. They combined for 13 strikeouts.
Rain stayed away from the Jackson area and a sold out crowd of 8,223 was present at Trustmark Park.