OXFORD, Miss. – A two-out single by Brayden Randle in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon was the difference as Ole Miss snagged a 3-2 win from Missouri State in the series finale at Swayze Field.
After the Rebels (8-0) opened the game with a home run, MoState (3-4) starter Owen Slater didn’t yield another hit in four innings, striking out four and leaving the game with a 2-1 lead thanks to Curry Sutherland’s solo homer in the second and Logan Fyffe scoring on an error after a leadoff double in the fifth.
Tyler Charlton relieved Slater following a leadoff walk in the Ole Miss fifth and fanned three batters in 3.1 innings, with his only blemish a solo homer in the seventh for a 2-2 tie.
The Rebels smacked a one-out double off Brock Lucas (0-2) in the eighth and brought the runner home on Randle’s bouncer for the go-ahead run, and Missouri State’s Jax Ryan was stranded on second after a one-out double in the ninth.
Ryan collected a two-hit day for Missouri State, while the pitching staff surrendered just five hits. Ole Miss pitching struck out 14 Bears and issued just one walk.
The Bears play their home opener Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Oral Roberts at Hammons Field and host Little Rock for a three-game series Feb. 27-March 1.
