PEARL — The University of Mississippi baseball team has had trouble closing games this season.
On Tuesday night, freshman right-hander Hawtin Buchanan provided an answer.
Buchanan earned game Most Valuable Player honors and his first win as Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 6-3 in the sixth Governor’s Cup at Trustmark Park.
“He was just electric with some great stuff,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “He threw some breaking balls tonight. Usually, you can count on his fastball, which we did tonight. He also threw some breaking balls. It’s neat to watch a Mississippi kid run out and have his best game of the year in this game.”
Last season, Ole Miss lost three of four matchups to MSU. The Rebels also had a rare miss when it came time for the postseason. The latest victory will go a long way toward helping the Rebels settle both of those scores this season.
“I knew it was a big spot, and I wanted to do my best to help this team win,” Buchanan said. “For the older guys, last season was a disappointment. We know every game is important if we want to get to our ultimate goal this season.”
Ole Miss improved to 25-12, while MSU fell to 21-16. Each squad is trying to make a second-half run at the Southeastern Conference Western Division title and a NCAA regional tournament berth.
The Rebels aided their cause by breaking a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fourth inning. Matt Snyder had an RBI single in the first and eighth and also had a hit during the fourth. An RBI single by Andrew Mistone extended the lead to 5-1.
As quickly as the lead was built, the Bulldogs rallied. MSU touched starter Sam Smith for a pair of runs before Buchanan arrived. The former Biloxi High School standout struck out Sam Frost to end the threat. Buchanan threw 44 pitches and retire all eight batters he faced. Prior to the contest, Buchanan (1.29 ERA) had thrown seven innings in seven appearances.
Aaron Greenwood and Dylan Chavez followed to help the Rebels’ bullpen throw 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. With the save, Chavez became the first Ole Miss pitcher other than regular closer Brett Huber to record a save this season. Ole Miss pitchers struck out 16.
“It was up to our pitchers to hold the lead and they really did,” Bianco said. “They threw the ball in the zone, made some pitches, and came up with some big strikeouts when we needed them. It was great to see.”
A weekend conference series loss to the University of Georgia dropped No. 22 Ole Miss down the national rankings. A strong showing against the No. 15 University of Arkansas this weekend in Oxford could go a long way toward helping the Rebels solidify their regional hopes and increase their chances of garnering a regional host spot.
“There is a lot of baseball left,” Buchanan said. “As a pitching staff, we have to get better and limit the big innings. I think we know what we are capable of. Now it is just a matter of reaching that potential.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.