Ole Miss takes game three, 5-3, to sweep series from Long Beach State
OXFORD, Miss. — Led by freshman pitcher Gunnar Hoglund, Ole Miss grabbed its first series sweep of the 2019 season, taking down the Long Beach State Dirtbags, 5-3, in the final game of a Saturday doubleheader.
(Click here for box score.)
In just his third collegiate start, Hoglund — a first-round MLB draft pick who chose college over the pros — came out and handled the LBSU lineup well with a nice mix of fastball and off-speed pitches that yielded only one run in five innings of work.
Mid 1 | Hoglund's playing some nifty defense and he uses a 1-3 DP to make quick work of the Dirtbags in the first.
💻: https://t.co/ID0gaxCKsU pic.twitter.com/frIhXSwsnb
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 2, 2019
In what was Hoglund’s most impressive start, the true freshman’s line also included three strikeouts, no walks, and one spectacular grab on a ball smoked directly back at his 6-foot-four-inch frame.
During Hoglund’s stand on the mound, the Rebel offense put up three runs in the first two innings by way of RBI singles from Tyler Keenan and Thomas Dillard.
Long Beach was able to get a run across in the top half of the second, but the Dirtbags did not score again until the top of the sixth inning.
Tyler Myers went one inning but gave up a two-run homer that flew to the Ole Miss bullpen. After he worked his way out of the sixth, Myers was followed by Taylor Broadway who entered in the top of the seventh.
The native Texan Broadway held Long Beach scoreless in the top of the eighth, and then the Rebels grabbed their fourth and fifth runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Courtesy of freshman Justin Bench’s two-RBI single, Ole Miss notched its first runs since the second inning and took a 5-3 lead.
Just-in time for Justin Bench.
💻: https://t.co/ID0gaxCKsU pic.twitter.com/VxkURm2fVH
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 3, 2019
Broadway took the mound in the ninth and finished off a three-inning outing that earned him the win in game three of the series. He gave up only one hit off 36 pitches thrown and added a strikeout in the ninth.
Up Next:
Ole Miss will host two teams in the midweek as the Rebels welcome Little Rock on Tuesday and the No. 14 East Carolina squad on Wednesday. The former is scheduled to commence at 4:00 p.m. (CT), while the latter is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) first pitch.
Postgame thoughts
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco (Video: Archie Breland, The Rebel Walk)
Archie Breland
Archie has been an Ole Miss fanatic since day one. Born in Denver, Colorado, he has a passion for everything Ole Miss and loves to be part of the great gameday experience. He is currently a freshman at the University of Mississippi and is studying the field of Journalism and Law. Archie played football in high school and also has extensive knowledge of all things college athletics.
