LSU, Lange even series with Rebels
OXFORD | Alex Lange dodged some trouble, saved LSU's bullpen and pitched the Tigers to a game two win that evened the weekend series to set up a Sunday rubber game.
The LSU ace pitched a complete game, as Ole Miss missed some opportunities and fell, 6-3, on Friday night at Swayze Field. The series finale is Saturday at 11 a.m.
The two teams are tied at 11-9 in the SEC. Ole Miss is now 32-12, while LSU is 28-15.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
JB Woodman gave Ole Miss an early lead, when he hammered a Lange fastball over the right field wall in the first inning. On the first pitch after Tate Blackman tripled with two outs, Woodman put the Rebels up 2-1 with his sixth home run of the season.
Woodman had two of Ole Miss' seven hits, was hit by a pitch and also had an outfield assist. He has three assists in the first two games of the series and nine on the season.
The junior is hitting .465 with runners in scoring position in 2016.
IT WAS OVER WHEN...
... LSU extended its lead to three runs in the sixth inning. After a double and walk opened the inning off reliever Connor Green, LSU executed a sacrifice bunt, but the throw to first ricocheted off Blackman's glove to score a run and move the runners to second and third. The Tigers got an RBI groundout for what turned out to be the final total.
The lead helped Lange get into a groove, as he retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced.
NOTES AND THOUGHTS
Lange was simply excellent, throwing the fastball by hitters and working in a devastating breaking ball that handcuffed the Rebels in different counts. He threw 108 pitches, 71 strikes with seven strikeouts and a walk.
Ole Miss had a chance to get to him in the middle innings but couldn't find the big hit. The Rebels cut it to 4-3 in the fourth but a double play ended the inning, and an inning later Ole Miss got two on with one out before another double play, this one by Ryan Olenek, ended that threat.
Woodman's outfield assist had a bigger impact on the series than just that one out. The throw to the plate easily beat LSU runner Jordan Romero, but Romero lowered his body into catcher Henri Lartigue, causing a collision. The ball popped out, but the umpire ruled Romero out and ejected him from the game.
Runners can't initiate collisions in college baseball. Romero, LSU's catcher and cleanup hitter, is suspended for tomorrow's game. The collision rule doesn't carry a suspension, and that was the initial ruling before the umpires changed it to unsportsmanlike conduct which does carry a one-game suspension.
Romero was 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs at the time of his ejection.
Ole Miss starter David Parkinson faced some control issues, yielding nine hits and four runs in 4.2 innings. He only walked two but left some pitches over the plate and didn't locate down as well as previous starts. Parkinson threw 78 pitches, 47 strikes.
Brady Feigl threw 2.2 scoreless relief innings.
LSU was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Ole Miss was 2-for-5. The Rebels got the leadoff batter on just once. LSU did it four times.