Mississippi State baseball showcased its full potential in a rivalry win over Ole Miss, powered by pitching and timely hitting.
For a couple innings, it looked like Ole Miss might make Mississippi State uncomfortable. They ran up Tomas Valincius’ pitch count and forced an early exit.Saturday’s 6-1 win ended up being a reminder of what Mississippi State looks like when everything clicks.
An ace who doesn’t blink, even when tested. A bullpen that slams the door. And a lineup that doesn’t just answer, it delivers knockout swings.Now the Bulldogs head into Sunday with control of the series and a chance at sweeping its biggest rival on its own field.Sophomore Tomas Valincius has now pitched 19 innings of SEC baseball without allowing an earned run. In today’s game, where every detail is dissected, putting up a streak like that is almost unheard of outside of video games. Ole Miss couldn’t break it. The Rebels managed just three hits, two walks and one hit-by-pitch against Valincius, who also struck out nine.What Ole Miss did do, though, was make him work. Valincius threw 44 pitches in the first two innings, and that kind of early workload limited him to five innings and 90 pitches. Considering he struck out the side in the fifth, the decision to pull him had nothing to do with performance. For a moment, the Rebels’ strategy looked like it might pay off. Brendan Sweeney hit the first batter he faced, walked the next and gave up an RBI single for Ole Miss’ first run of the game.But that was the last hit Ole Miss recorded, and the Rebels reached base only twice more in the final three innings. Pair a performance like Valincius gave with a bullpen that closes the door, and Mississippi State is going to win a lot of important games this season.The Jacob Parker show in Starkville may be getting started a lot sooner than most expected. The talented freshman who chose college over the pros has really started to find a groove. Parker got the start in Saturday’s game against Ole Miss and had himself a day at the plate. His two-run home run in the sixth was a no-doubter to right field, the kind of swing that made anything Ole Miss did in response feel small. Parker is showing flashes of why he was a borderline first-round MLB draft pick and why he has the talent to chase a Golden Spikes one day.And if Parker’s home run stung Ole Miss, Gehrig Frei’s blast four pitches later basically put the game out of reach.Ole Miss is the team with the home run reputation, yet it was Mississippi State sending balls over the wall.LP: Hudson Calhoun , 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 68 TP, 36 STJacob Parker: 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR 1 BBWith the series already won, the Bulldogs can go into Sunday’s series finale without any additional pressure beyond wanting to sweep their rivals.Mississippi State send Duke Stone against Ole Miss righty Cade Townsend . The game will air on SEC Network.Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.Eight Best College Football Games to Watch in Week 6: Vanderbilt-Alabama Upset Alert
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