OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss used a four-run sixth inning to break open a tie game Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field on the way to handing Missouri State a 6-3 defeat.
The Rebels (7-0) scored a run in the first inning as the only tally against starter Max Knight, who finished with seven strikeouts, including six consecutively at one point, while allowing a run on two hits in four innings. The junior also collected a hit and played first base, marking his 17th career game with a base hit and a pitching appearance.
Jax Ryan’s first home run as a Bear tied the score in the fifth and made it nine Bears (3-3) with a round-tripper so far this season, but the Rebels broke it open the next frame.
Ole Miss loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth and got a bases-clearing double from Austin Fawley, who later scored for a 5-1 lead for the home team.
MoState halved the deficit to 5-3 in the eighth as Ryan and Gabe Roessler opened with singles and scored on RBI ground outs by Caden Bogenpohl and Bryce Cermenelli. Taeg Gollert slugged his 62nd career double in between, tying Matt Gardner for second place on the Bears’ career list.
The Rebels got insurance in the bottom half with a leadoff walk coming around on a stolen base and two outs for the 6-3 final.
Missouri State pitching piled up 11 strikeouts to reach double figures for the second straight day. Ryan went 2-for-3 with a walk as the only Bear with multiple hits in the contest.
The series finale is set for 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
