Mississippi State baseball prevails in Governor's Cup vs. Ole Miss, splits season series

PEARL — Mississippi State and Ole Miss baseball have had a knack for delivering drama when facing off on the diamond. The 2024 rendition of the rivalry, particularly the finale, was no exception.

Playing in a nonconference meeting at Trustmark Park on Wednesday, with the game televised on ESPN2, the teams delivered a pitchers' duel that featured a 1-1 tie going into the eighth.

However, by taking advantage of the Rebels' poor defensive play, Mississippi State blew open the game in the penultimate inning to win 5-1.

With one out in the eighth, MSU outfielder Connor Hujsak was hit by a pitch. Shortly after, he advanced from first to third on a wild pitch. He scored what turned out to be the winning run when the Rebels (23-21) failed to turn a likely inning-ending double play off the bat of Logan Kohler.

A bases-loaded walk to Bryce Chance followed by a two-run double from David Mershon gave MSU (30-15) its insurance runs.

With the Governor's Cup victory, the rivals split the regular-season series. The Rebels took two of three in a mid-April series at Swayze Field in Oxford.

Both starters pitched well

Both starters in the midweek matchup provided strong outings. Pico Kohn got the nod for Mississippi State, allowing only one run and striking out five in four innings.

He was opposed by Grayson Saunier, who gave Ole Miss four shutout innings. He struck out two and allowed four hits. The only trouble he faced came in the first inning when the Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs, but Saunier escaped with a flyout from MSU designated hitter Amani Larry.

The lone blemish against the starters came in the second when Judd Utermark sent a towering solo home run to left field to put the Rebels ahead. It was only the third home run of the season for the Ole Miss third baseman and the first allowed by Kohn.

Ethan Lege exits for Ole Miss

Ole Miss outfielder Ethan Lege was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth inning. While he stayed in the game to run the bases, he was removed before taking the field to defend in the bottom half of the inning.

As the Rebels look to keep their postseason hopes alive in the home stretch of the regular season, losing Lege for an extended period of time could be detrimental. He’s hitting a team-best .327 with 13 home runs and 38 runs batted in.

Treyson Hughes took Lege’s spot in the lineup after Lege exited.

FUTURE OF THE GOVERNOR'S CUP: The Mississippi Braves are moving. What does it mean for college baseball at Trustmark Park?

What’s next on 2024 schedule for Mississippi State, Ole Miss?

Mississippi State returns to Dudy Noble Field on Friday (6 p.m., SEC Network+) to open a series with Alabama. The Crimson Tide are three games back of the Bulldogs for third in the SEC West.

Ole Miss heads to Auburn to open a three-game set on Friday (6 p.m., SEC Network+). The Rebels are four games ahead of the Tigers, who own the worst conference record in the SEC. The bottom two teams in the conference, currently Auburn and Missouri, do not make the SEC tournament.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State baseball beats Ole Miss in Governor's Cup