OXFORD | Riley Maddox’s 88th and final pitch of the evening darted by Jonathan Vastine’s bat, eliciting a near-simultaneous roar from the Swayze Field crowd on this Double Decker Saturday.
Maddox gave a small forward arm and fist movement and moved toward his waiting teammates. The fans showed their appreciation in what was the final time he was on the field, the autograph on Maddox’s masterpiece.
The Rebels ran through Vanderbilt starter Cody Bowker the second time through the order to coast to the 7-1 win to clinch the weekend series, but it was Maddox that made the middle game of the weekend so comfortable.
“He was tremendous,” Mike Bianco said. “He really kept the sinker down the last couple innings and got stronger. It’s the best he’s looked in a long time. Efficient and just so solid.”
Maddox tied his career high with seven innings and gave up four hits with five strikeouts and no walks. He was at only 65 pitches through five frames and used eight ground outs and a double play to silence the Commodores.
“I was still in go-mode, so I didn’t fully appreciate it walking off the field,” Maddox said. “I was expecting to stay in, but Joel (Mangrum) hasn’t had me over 88 pitches the entire season… It was probably the right call.”
It’s the longest starting pitcher outing of the season for the Rebels. Ole Miss has won four straight with three in SEC games and the other over Mississippi State in the Governor’s Cup.
Ole Miss (31-12, 12-8) goes for the sweep at 1:30 on Sunday. Vanderbilt is 30-13 and 11-9. The Commodores entered the day at No. 4 in the RPI.
Maddox got a strikeout to strand a runner in the first and then allowed the one run in the second inning after RJ Austin singled and then stole second, third and home – sliding into Austin Fawley’s mitt and jarring the ball loose at the plate.
The right-hander faced the minimum over the next 10 batters with two perfect innings and a fifth inning that ended when shortstop Luke Cheng made a great pick and flip to start a double play.
Maddox has gone at least five innings and allowed two or fewer runs in three of his past four starts. His other seven-inning effort was a shutout against Mississippi State in the 2024 SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs later won the game to end the Rebels’ season.
Bowker retired the first eight Rebels on fewer than 35 pitches before he hit Cheng and then finished off the third a batter later. Ole Miss put eight of the next nine on base during a six-run fourth.
Luke Hill broke up the no-hitter, Will Furniss singled, and Issac Humphrey and Austin Fawley had one and two RBIs, respectively, before Ryan Moerman hit a 420-foot home run to score three and punctuate the inning.
It was Moerman’s first home run since March 23.
“It’s a mature lineup that put together great at-bats,” Bianco said. “It didn’t look like our night the first time through, but we hung in there.”
Vanderbilt was 0-for-11 with runners on and only had six hits, leading to three chances without a hit with a runner in scoring position – 0-for-10 through the two games in that stat.
Ole Miss was 4-for-11 with runners on. Judd Utermark hit a solo home run in the fifth for his team-leading 13th long ball of the season.
Brayden Jones cruised through the eighth and first two outs of the ninth for Ole Miss, but an infield single, an error and a walk loaded the bases for the Vanderbilt. The Rebels went to Connor Spencer, who threw four pitches for the final out.
“We obviously didn’t want to bring him in, but you have to finish the game,” Bianco said. “Once he’s hot to come in the game, he’s throwing those four pitches out there. It shouldn’t make a difference (for Sunday).
“I just hate it for BJ because it was such a well-pitched game, and he did a good job.”
