It was a mostly successful opening weekend for Mississippi’s major college baseball programs with all three teams securing at least two wins against their first opponents of the 2024 season.
Here is how it all went down on the diamond.
Ole Miss at Hawaii
Game one (Ole Miss 5, Hawaii 4)
Recap: Ole Miss survived a scare in an extra-innings battle mostly due to its bullpen only allowing one run in 9.1 innings and an Ethan Lege RBI scoring Jackson Ross in the top of the 13th.
Winning pitcher: Mason Nichols — Five strikeouts and no hits or runs allowed in 4.1 innings pitched. JT Quinn started, striking out six, but surrendering three hits and three runs in 3.1 innings pitched.
Impact batter: Ethan Groff — Three hits, one home run, and three RBIs.
Game two (Ole Miss 5, Hawaii 2)
Recap: Ole Miss scored three runs early in the seven-inning opener of a doubleheader and never allowed Hawaii to have a lead.
Winning pitcher: Gunnar Dennis — One strikeout but four hits and two earned runs given up in four innings pitched. Wes Mendes was credited with the save, striking out four while allowing nothing effective from Hawaii’s offense.
Impact batter: Bo Gatlin — Two hits, one score, and three RBIs.
Game three (Ole Miss 1, Hawaii 9)
Recap: Hawaii scored early and often to try to back end their way to evening out the series and Ole Miss was ineffective both at the plate and at the mound, setting up the blowout.
Losing pitcher: Grayson Saunier — Five strikeouts recorded but four hits and five runs surrendered.
Impact batter: Kyson Donahue (Hawaii) — One hit, one home run, and three RBIs.
Game four (Ole Miss 4, Hawaii 13)
Recap: Hawaii scored seven runs in the first seven innings to overwhelm Ole Miss and split the home series against the Rebels.
Losing pitcher: Riley Maddox — Four strikeouts but four hits and five runs allowed in two innings pitched. Ole Miss pitchers collectively walked 10 batters in the contest.
Impact batter: Dallas Duarte (Hawaii) — Two hits and three RBIs.
Mississippi State vs. Air Force
Game one (Mississippi State 8, Air Force 4)
Recap: After trailing 4-3 in the fifth inning, Mississippi State shut Air Force’s offense down the rest of the way while putting up five runs to earn the team’s first win of the year.
Winning pitcher: Tyler Davis — Two strikeouts recorded and just one hit allowed in one inning pitched. Nate Dohm started, striking out four and allowing six hits and two runs in four innings pitched.
Impact batter: Dakota Jordan — Two hits, three scores, one home run, and one RBI.
Game two (Mississippi State 2, Air Force 3)
Recap: Two runs by Air Force in the top of the ninth inning erased a 2-1 Mississippi State lead and ultimately gave the Falcons the victory in a low-scoring contest.
Losing pitcher: Colby Holcomb — Three walks and two earned runs surrendered in one inning pitched. Khal Stephen started, striking out 11 and giving up just one run and three hits.
Impact batter: Chris Stallings (Air Force) — One hit and two RBIs.
Game three (Mississippi State 10, Air Force 2)
Recap: An explosive five-run fifth inning for the Bulldogs carried the way in a dominant offensive showing while a solid pitching outing gave Mississippi State its first series win in a rubber match against the Falcons.
Winning pitcher: Tyson Hardin — Two hits and one unearned run allowed in one inning pitched. Jurrangelo Cijntje started, recording eight strikeouts and allowing two hits and one earned run in four innings pitched.
Impact batter: Hunter Hines — Three hits, three scores, and one RBI.
Southern Miss vs. Marist
Game one (Southern Miss 4, Marist 1)
Recap: A strong performance on the mound carried Southern Miss to victory in Christian Ostrander’s debut as the Golden Eagles’ head coach.
Winning pitcher: Nikko Mazza — Eight strikeouts recorded and no runs given up in 5.1 innings pitched. Colby Allen is credited with the save, striking out five batters while surrendering one run off of three hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
Impact batter: Carson Paetow — One hit, one score, and two RBIs.
Game two (Southern Miss 10, Marist 5)
Recap: An offensive surge in the bottom of the sixth inning gave Southern Miss its first series win of the season.
Winning pitcher: Billy Oldham — Seven strikeouts recorded but six hits and two runs allowed in six innings pitched.
Impact batter: Ozzie Pratt — Two hits, three scores, and two RBIs.
Game three (Southern Miss 3, Marist 6)
Recap: Marist was able to salvage the series by taking an early 4-1 lead that Southern Miss’ bats could never overcome.
Losing pitcher: Kros Sivley — Three strikeouts but seven hits and four earned runs given up in 2.2 innings pitched.
Impact batter: Johnny Decker (Marist) — Two hits, three scores, and one RBI.
