MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The No. 15 Ole Miss baseball team used three home runs and a strong pitching
performance from freshman starting pitcher James McArthur in a 7-0 victory against Memphis on Tuesday evening at AutoZone Park.
McArthur pitched a career-high seven scoreless innings to improve to 5-0. He tied his career high with seven strikeouts to earn his fifth victory in his last six starts. McArthur allowed four hits and two walks. Brady Feigl allowed two hits and struck out three to close Ole Miss’ second consecutive shutout.
Will Golsan and Michael Fitzsimmons hit back-to-back homers as part of a four-run sixth inning. It was the third home run this season by each Rebel, as the duo became the first Ole Miss sluggers to go back-to-back since Sikes Orvis and Colby Bortles accomplished the feat against Tennessee-Martin on April 15, 2015.
Colby Bortles also left the yard in the eighth for his fourth home run. The Rebels (27-10) had 10 hits, including two each by Bortles, Errol Robinson, and J.B. Woodman.
For Memphis (13-24), six Tigers recorded a hit. Starting pitcher Jonathan Bowlan (1-4) allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in six innings.
Ole Miss will play host to Murray State at 6:30 tonight at Swayze Field. The midweek non-conference matchup will kick off a four-game homestand.
n Tulane 12, Southern Mississippi 0: At New Orleans, the Golden Wave scored four runs in the first and allowed only two hits in its victory Tuesday at Turchin Stadium.
Southern Miss (27-11) lost for the third time in its last four games.
J.P. France (3-1) limited the Golden Eagles to one hit in six innings. He walked four and struck out seven. Four Green Wave hurlers combined to limit Southern Miss to a season-low tying two hits, a pair of singles by Tim Lynch in the first and eighth. Southern Miss also struck out a season high 11 times.
Southern Miss starter Stevie Powers (0-1) allowed six runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out one.
Seven Southern Miss pitchers combined to allow a season-high tying 12 walks. Eight of Tulane’s runs scored by walk or hit by pitch.
Tulane (23-13) swept the two-game season series with Southern Miss, which will play host to fellow Conference USA leader Rice this weekend in a three-game set at Pete Taylor Park.
n Alabama 5, Troy 3: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Crimson Tide used a one-out, two-run single by Taylor Poe in the eighth to pull away from the Trojans on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
A leadoff walk by Chance Vincent and a by a hit by a pitch to put two on in the eighth for Alabama (23-14). A flyout to right moved both runners into scoring position for Poe. The Crimson Tide catcher took the first pitch he saw down the third-base line and over the bag for a bases-clearing single.
“(Taylor Poe) is another guy that’s taken advantage of some opportunities and obviously that leads to more opportunities when you do that,” Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard said. “On the offensive end, he’s done a really good job, but his catching, in my eyes, has really improved. He’s done a good job running the game when he’s back there, so hats off to Taylor: Every time we’ve called on him, he’s done a nice job for us.”
Thomas Burrows entered in the final frame, allowing a one-out walk and a single to put two on before closing the door with a strikeout looking and a game-ending groundout to second. The save was Burrows’ 10th of the year and puts him one shy of his career-high total of 11 that he collected during his freshman season in 2014.
Crimson Tide starter Brock Love worked the longest outing of his career, going five innings and allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks with a season-high nine strikeouts. Love retired the first nine he faced in tonight’s outing. The freshman was followed by Jon Keller (2-1), who tossed 3.0 innings and allowed one run while matching his season-high mark for strikeouts with four.
Alabama will play host to South Alabama at 6:30 tonight (SECN+).
Junior Colleges
n Itawamba Community College 14-3, East Mississippi C.C. 2-4: At Scooba, Timothy Rowe had four hits, including a home run, and Tyreque Reed had three hits, including a home run, to lead the Indians to their victory in Game 1.
Ty Wheeler was 4-for-6 with three RBIs, Bryan Malone was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, Reed was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, and Rowe was 4-for-6 with two RBIs in the 20-hit attack.
In Game 2, EMCC (11-24, 7-12 Mississippi Association of Junior and Community College North Division) scored in the bottom of the seventh to earn a split.
Ryder Davis (1-1) took the victory. Mike Farrell, Whitt Davis, and former Oak Hill Academy standout Joseph Caskey had multiple hits for the Lions.
In Game 1, former New Hope High School standout Taylor Stafford had two doubles for the Lions.
ICC (22-16, 10-12 MACJC North) will play East Central C.C. at 2 p.m. Saturday.
n In related news, ICC freshman Stephon Moore, of West Point, was named Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Pitcher of the Week for his performance against Mississippi Delta C.C. on Wednesday.
The left-handed pitcher gave up one hit and one unearned run in a complete-game effort to pick up his first win in a 2-1 victory. He struck out nine and walked three. He struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to help seal the deal.
n Correction: Ole Miss dropped seven spots to No. 15 in this week’s Baseball America poll. The information was incorrect in Tuesday’s edition.
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