Ole Miss had the same approach in both games on Friday in Starkville – to vastly different results.

The Rebels split a doubleheader with Mississippi State, beating the Bulldogs, 10-4, in the opener before falling 4-1 in the nightcap. Ole Miss (34-16, 14-12, is 4-0 in SEC road finales this season, while State (30-20, 11-15) is 4-1 in the league under interim head coach Justin Parker.

The Rebels have been consistent offensively only in their attack method. Big swings, early swings and home run dependency mark Ole Miss’ season with the bat. The plan leads to highlights and low points depending on the ability to drive the baseball out of the yard.

Ole Miss, in the win, hit four home runs and built an eight-run lead with seven of the 10 total runs scored via home run. Six of the nine hits went for extra bases.

"We got off to a hot start and really hit through the lineup," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said.

Judd Utermark hit a three-run shot, Austin Fawley hit a two-run homer, and Ryan Moerman and Collin Reuter each had a solo home run. Those four were 1-for-13 outside of the home runs.

The Rebels ran MSU ace Pico Kohn after six hits and eight runs in five innings. Five of the extra base hits were against him. Mitchell Sanford walked three times and scored twice. Will Furniss walked two times.

But, in the second game of the day, MSU starter Evan Siary had a career night, dancing a low 90s fastball and a very good but recognizable curve ball around and through Ole Miss hitters. Siary, who had a 6.00 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 30 SEC innings, punched out 15 Rebels and threw only 98 pitches.

He tossed just 22 balls in eight innings. Siary threw five pitches with a runner at second base, and Ole Miss didn’t advance a runner to third against him.

"It’s a low-release angle and it’s a different thing than guys are used to," Bianco said. "We couldn’t catch up to it, and it kept us off balance all night."

Ole Miss struggles to move the baseball, putting a lot of pressure on gappers and home runs. When it works, it’s beautiful and bombs away. The inverse creates futile flailing at the plate.

The Rebels have scored three or fewer runs in six of the last 11 SEC games, including at least once in six straight series and two or fewer runs in at least one game during five consecutive series. UM hasn’t scored 4-6 runs in an SEC game since April 5, highlighting the a-lot-or-a-little outings at the plate.

Ole Miss is fourth in runs scored and third in home runs in SEC play but tied with Missouri for second in strikeouts and ninth in overall games in batting average. The Rebels walk the third-most in the league and hit into the fourth-most double plays.

Hunter Elliott held the Bulldogs to three hits and two runs in 5.2 innings to move to 7-3 on the season. He struck out seven, threw a season-high 114 pitches and battled pitch count issues to last nearly six frames. Mason Morris gave up two runs in two innings, and Will McCausland finished the final four outs in 15 pitches.

In the MSU win, Ole Miss’ lack of offense wasted Riley Maddox’s evening. Maddox scattered four hits and two runs in 6.1 innings. He struck out eight and walked two on 64 strikes in 97 pitches.

"Riley pitched his rear-end off," Bianco said. Hunter was terrific, and we got exactly what we expected from them, two Mississippi guys."

State went single, double, single in order in the second inning, but the right-hander limited it to the two runs and then put up three-plus zeroes to conclude his appearance.

MSU tacked on two runs in the eighth inning. The inning started with an Owen Paino error.

Ole Miss got the first two on in the ninth with a Fawley walk and a Furniss infield single. Fawley scored on a Moerman Sacrifice fly. Utermark and Sanford had two hits in the State win.

Ole Miss, in the two games combined, was 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and went 1-for-10 in the second game with runners on base. In the latter, the Rebels advanced a runner with a batted ball just once in eight opportunities against Siary. The Bulldogs did it eight times in 15 chances.

"He really pounded the zone tonight," Utermark said of Siary. "It’s hard to compete with that. We knew he had the capability to pound the zone, and he showed it tonight. We weren’t ready for it."

The home runs are exciting and needed. They won game one. The approach, along with Siary’s lack of mistakes, closed the book on game two.

Ole Miss, through 50 games, likely is what it is. Some middle ground, however, would suit the Rebels well with a critical rubber match on Sunday.