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Cowbell Corner

Bulldogs Use Late Rally to Take Down Ole Miss in Series Opener

Mississippi State rallied late to beat Ole Miss in the series opener, using timely hitting and strong bullpen work to secure the win.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Charlie Foster gave up just one run in his Friday night start against No. 18 Ole Miss at Swayze Field in Oxford.
Mississippi State pitcher Charlie Foster gave up just one run in his Friday night start against No. 18 Ole Miss at Swayze Field in Oxford. | Dylan Cohron-DawgsonSI Images

If you showed up to Swayze Field on Friday expecting a home‑run derby, the wind had other plans.

It spent most of the night swatting baseballs back into the yard like an overcaffeinated outfielder, and both teams had to figure out how to live with it.

Ole Miss tried to muscle through. Mississippi State tried something radical: adjusting. Only one of those approaches worked.

At the Plate

The wind Friday night at Swayze Field decided to play as a 10th fielder and helped keep a lot of long fly balls inside the park.

Ole Miss third baseman Judd Utermark had the only home run of the game, and he had to hit it at the perfect angle and velocity to get it out. For almost everyone else, an adjustment needed to be made.

Mississippi State made that adjustment. Ole Miss did not.

Rebels starter Hunter Elliott pitched like an ace until the sixth inning.

With one out, Drew Wyers recorded the second Mississippi State hit of the game.

Aidan Teel followed with a full-count walk, and Ace Reese drove in a run on a single to left that fell short because of the wind.

Noah Sullivan did not need any help from the wind on his hit. He sent a pitch down the left-field line to give Mississippi State a 2-1 lead.

After an Ole Miss pitching change and a walk to Reed Stallman, Ryder Woodson drove in Reese on an infield single that Dom Decker could not handle.

Mississippi State did not get its bats going again until its final at-bats, and the Bulldogs may have taken advantage of an Ole Miss reliever who was running out of gas.

Woodson led off the top of the ninth with a single. Bryce Chance followed with a double that forced another pitching change, but it did not stop the Bulldogs from scoring.

An RBI groundout and a triple brought in two more runs, and that was all Mississippi State needed to secure the win.

On the Mound

Charlie Foster was handed a herculean-sized challenge starting the opener for Mississippi State, and all things considered, he delivered.

In 4.2 innings, he allowed only two hits. One was a solo home run to Judd Utermark, and the other was a double by Will Furniss that did not lead to a run. He did not issue a walk and struck out three.

Mississippi State probably would have liked to see Foster finish the fifth inning before turning to the bullpen, but Jack Gleason came in and immediately ended the Rebels’ scoring chance after Furniss’s leadoff double. Maddox Webb followed with two strikeouts against the three batters he faced.

The matchup games began in the seventh inning. Dave Burns faced one batter and recorded a strikeout before Ben Davis replaced him. Davis struck out the first hitter he saw, but then issued two walks. That is not what you want to see with two outs, and Ole Miss made him pay.

Austin Fawley hit a three-run home run that the wind nearly kept inside the park, giving Ole Miss a 4-3 lead.

Then Tyler Pitzer did exactly what you want a late-game reliever to do: shut the door. He entered and threw two perfect innings, allowing no baserunners and completely shutting down the Rebels.

Pitching Decisions

  • WP: Tyler Pitzer (2-1) 0 H, 0 R, 4 K, 19 TP, 14 ST
  • LP: Taylor Rabe (3-1) 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 56 TP, 37 ST

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

  • Ryder Woodson: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 K
  • Bryce Chance: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
  • Noah Sullivan: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 2B
  • Ace Reese: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K

Next Up

The series rolls on Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field, with first-pitch set for 1:30 p.m. We know who Mississippi State is handing the ball to. Ole Miss? Still a mystery.

The Bulldogs are turning to Tomas Valincius, who’s been nothing short of dominant this season. He's posted 5-0 record with a 1.04 ERA and a WHIP under 1.

The Rebels, meanwhile, haven’t named a starter. Cade Townsend has held down the Saturday role all year, and while he didn’t appear on Friday’s Student-Athlete Availability Report—not even as a game-time decision—two other pitchers (Marcko Sipila and Grayson Gibson) did. That absence might be the biggest hint yet that Townsend is trending toward taking the mound.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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