Ole Miss Baseball Loses Two Of Three At No. 1 LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. (Ole Miss Athletics) – In the rubber match of the opening series of Southeastern Conference play, the Ole Miss baseball team suffered a 18-6 defeat to No. 1 LSU Sunday afternoon, March 15. After the Rebels (10-9, 1-2 SEC) struck in the first inning, the Tigers (18-2, 2-1 SEC) countered with 10 unanswered runs en route to claiming the series.

Ole Miss pounded out nine hits on the afternoon behind two apiece from Tate Blackman, Will Golsan and Sikes Orvis. One day after driving in the game-winning run, Orvis went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run for his fourth of the season. Three other Rebels recorded hits, while Errol Robinson and Josh Watkins each tallied a RBI. Golsan reached base a career-high four times with a pair of singles and two walks. On the mound, Sam Smith (1-3) took the loss, allowing five runs in the first tinning.

LSU scored in six of the eight opportunities at the plate, chalking up 19 hits. Jake Godfrey (4-0) went 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks, to remain perfect on the 2015 season.

Ole Miss took advantage of Godfrey’s wildness at the start to plate the game’s first run in the opening inning. Godfrey walked a pair of Rebels and also plunked Blackman. During Blackman’s at-bat, a wild pitch allowed Golsan to slide home safely, putting Ole Miss on the board. However, the Tigers responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, forcing Smith out of the game early.

After Jacob Waguespack pitched a scoreless second inning, LSU added five more runs over the next three innings to hold a 10-1 cushion. The Rebels chopped down the deficit with a pair of runs in the top half of the sixth. Three consecutive singles by Orvis, Blackman and Henri Lartigue loaded the bases with nobody out. Robinson and Watkins followed as each knocked in a run.

Despite the Rebels trailing, Orvis continued to put on a show in Baton Rouge, belting a three-run bomb in the top of the ninth. The blast cleared the bleachers in left field and was hit so far that he drew a standing ovation from the LSU fans.

Following a week spent on the road for five games against two teams ranked in the top 10, Ole Miss returns to Swayze Field for a six-game homestand. The Rebels will begin the week hosting Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Wednesday, March 18, for a midweek matchup. The non-conference affair will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on SEC Network+.