OXFORD | Kevin Graham sent a poster-worthy shot over the batter’s eye in center field on Friday, a 438-foot home run that left the bat at 105 MPH and was one of the farthest home runs in recent years at Swayze Field.
That was all the mileage for the Rebels offensively. At least until the game was no longer in doubt.
LSU used an opportunistic sixth inning and a big ninth that held up easily to give the Tigers a 7-2 victory and the series after the win on Thursday. Ole Miss tries to avoid the sweep at noon Saturday.
“Tonight the guy was just really good,” Mike Bianco said. “We didn’t have any opportunities with runners on. We didn’t have enough runners or good at-bats.”
“The guy” was AJ Labas AJ Labas, who threw the second complete game of his career. He gave up 10 hits with one walk and one hit by pitch.
It’s the first time Ole Miss has lost four straight series since the final four weekends in 2002. The Rebels are 3-8 since winning the first six conference games with sweeps of Alabama and Auburn. The 2002 team was 12-6 in the SEC before a 2-10 close caused them to miss the postseason at 14-16 in the league.
It’s LSU’s first series win in Oxford since 2014.
Doug Nikhazy, in his first appearance since the complete game one-hitter against Mississippi State, gave Ole Miss (27-12, 9-8) six innings despite not having his best mix, especially early in the game.
Nikhazy gave up two runs, one earned, with 11 strikeouts, seven hits and three walks, competing like crazy and keeping LSU (24-14, 6-11) at bay despite a pitch count that never recovered past a 25-pitch opening inning. He threw 74 strikes out of 107 pitches.
A double and a single to start LSU’s sixth set up a sacrifice bunt to break the scoreless tie. An error come next, so two straight strikeouts didn’t end the inning, and another single plated the second run.
Wes Burton threw two scoreless relief innings to keep Ole Miss within a run, striking out three and stranding the leadoff runner in the seventh and eighth innings. Burton didn’t walk a hitter and fought through 16 foul balls in the six outs.
But in the ninth, a leadoff single brought in Jackson Kimbrell. An intentionally walk and a throwing error leaded the bases and set up Gavin Dugas for a grand slam just inside the left-field foul pole off Kimbrell.
LSU added one more in the inning.
The late histrionics put the game away, overshadowing Ole Miss’ offense which couldn’t muster much. The Rebels were 1-for-9 with runners on base and 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position prior to the LSU ninth-inning onslaught. Dating back to the win over State last weekend, Ole Miss has one hit in its last 22 chances with runners in scoring position.
The Rebels stranded a runner in every inning on Thursday, 14 in total, and on Friday failed to get a runner home from third with fewer than two outs on the only two occasions with that opportunity. Ole Miss only struck out six times, but the at-bats with runners on weren’t competitive.
Graham had two hits, as did TJ McCants and Hayden Dunhurst, who doubled. Outside of Graham and Dunhurst, Ole Miss was 3-for-22 at the plate after eight innings.
