Ole Miss Claims Governor’s Cup, 5-2

Rebels Split Season Series with Mississippi State

PEARL, Miss. – (Release) Tim Elko laced a two-run single in the fifth inning to give Ole Miss the lead and the Rebels didn’t look back, earning a 5-2 win at Trustmark Park to claim the Governor’s Cup for the first time since 2015.

(Click here for box score.)
 
Drew McDaniel earned the win on the hill, matching his season high with five-plus innings allowing two runs (one earned) on a pair of hits, striking out four along the way. Mason Nichols delivered three shutout innings in relief and Brandon Johnson finished the deal for his fourth save of the season.
 
The Rebels got going early to take the lead. After Justin Bench won a long battle to draw a walk out of the leadoff spot, Jacob Gonzalez pulled the first pitch he saw deep into the gap for an RBI triple, scoring shortly after on Elko’s grounder to put Ole Miss (23-17) up 2-0.
 
Mississippi State (24-18) took advantage of a pair of walks and an infield error to scratch two runs across in its half, tying things up at two runs apiece.
 
McDaniel then worked around a couple of walks in the second inning before settling in, holding the Bulldogs at bay until the offense struck again to regain the lead.
 
Peyton Chatagnier led off the fifth with a single, followed by a Gonzalez double to put a pair in scoring position for Elko. The captain came through, shooting a single through the left side to score two, coming home himself on Kevin Graham’s double down the right field line.
 
Mississippi State brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but Johnson was able to evade danger.

NEXT UP:

Ole Miss hits the road to resume SEC play, heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas for a three-game series.

Friday’s matchup with fourth-ranked Arkansas will be streamed via SEC Network plus, while Saturday and Sunday’s contests will air on ESPN2 and ESPN, respectively. All three games can be heard through the Ole Miss Radio Network.

(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Baseball)

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.