OXFORD, Miss. — Ranked as the fourth-best hitting team in the nation, LSU scored seven runs in the fifth inning, four in the ninth and belted 15 hits to defeat Ole Miss in the first game of a three-game road series, 12-6 Friday night.
LSU improved to 34-13 overall and 14-7 in Southeastern Conference play. Ole Miss fell to 27-19 and 9-12 in conference play.
Tiger starter Hunter Gomez improved to 7-0 on the season after pitching 7 2/3 innings while allowing six runs, three earned, on six hits. Ole Miss starter Jeff McAvoy pitched 4 2/3 innings and received the loss.
The teams will continue the three-game weekend series Saturday at 3 p.m.
Ole Miss received a gift in the first inning as a Ryan Theriot throwing error, a fielder’s choice, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly led to the Rebel’s first unearned run and a 1-0 lead.
Both teams went scoreless until the top of the fourth when LSU tied the game on Brad Hawpe’s school record-tying 27th double of the season, a single by Cedrick Harris and a sacrifice fly by Wally Pontiff.
LSU opened up the game in the top of the fifth, scoring seven runs on six hits and a walk. Ray Wright led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a walk to Theriot. After a wild pitch gave each other base, Mike Fontenot hit a two-RBI single. Brad Cresse singled and was knocked in on a single by Brad Hawpe and a two-base fielding error on Ole Miss. Hawpe scored on a sacrifice fly by Harris to give the Tigers a 6-1 lead.
Blair Barbier, who had missed the Tigers past eight games with a torn quadriceps, singled to continue the rally and moved to second when Jeremy Witten was hit by a pitch for the 12th time this weekend. Wright then earned his second hit of the inning, a two-RBI double to score Barbier and Witten, giving LSU an 8-1 lead.
Gomez kept the Rebels at bay with only two hits through six inning, however, Ole Miss hit two home runs in the seventh to cut LSU’s lead to 8-4.
Ole Miss benefited from an error by Pontiff in the eighth to score two more runs and knock Gomez from the game in favor or Shane Youman. Youman struck out the second batter he faced to get out of the inning.
LSU sealed the game in the top of the ninth, ending Ole Miss’ five unanswered runs with four runs on five hits. Hawpe and Barbier singled before Witten hit a two-RBI triple to left center. Witten then scored on a single by Wright, and Wright scored on a double by Theriot to give LSU a 12-6 lead.
Trey Hodges entered in relief of Youman to start the ninth, retiring the Rebels in order to end the game.