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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
McNeese State
Smith Lifts Rebels To Win Over Cowboys
5/14/2002 | Baseball
May 14, 2002
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OXFORD, Miss. - Freshman outfielder Seth Smith hit a bases loaded single up the middle with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Josh Christian and lift No. 16 Ole Miss to a 3-2 win over MicNeese State Tuesday evening, in front of 1,398 at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. The game completed a five games in five-day stretch for the Rebels.
Christian opened the ninth with a walk and a batter later following a pitching change, Clint Farrar hit a pinch-hit single off reliever Josh Hansen, and Hansen then hit Jonathan Swearingen to load the bases for Smith.
Al Simontis (5-2), the last of five Ole Miss (37-16) pitchers on the evening, pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win.
The bottom four hitters of the Cowboy line-up went a combined 9-for-16 as McNeese State (28-24) out-hit Ole Miss 11-8 on the evening, however, the Cowboys stranded 14 runners on base, including nine in scoring position. Second baseman Dustin Smith went 3-for-3 to lead McNeese State.
The lack of run production wasted a solid start by McNeese State freshman right-hander Seth LaStrapes. Strapes (3-3) pitched into the ninth inning before being lifted after issuing the lead-off walk to Christian. He was charged with three runs, two earned, on six hits and six walks in being tagged with the loss. He also struck out three.
Seth Smith and Chad Sterbens both went 2-for-4 for the Rebels, as Sterbens extended his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games, which is the second longest streak in school history.
Both teams scored a run in the second inning, and the Cowboys took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on Ran Prince's sac fly to score P.J. Johnston, who tripled to start the inning. The Rebels tied it in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Drew Rogers to score Smith.
Ole Miss will next open a three-game Southeastern Conference series at Mississippi State Friday night at 6:30 p.m., to conclude the regular season. The Rebels can clinch a berth in next week's SEC Tournament with one win over the Bulldogs this weekend.
Ole Miss 3, McNeese State 2 (May 14, 2002 at Oxford, Miss.)----------------------------------------------------------------------McNeese State....... 010 100 000 - 2 11 1 (28-24)Ole Miss............ 010 010 001 - 3 8 0 (37-16)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: McNeese State - S. LaStrapes; J. Hansen(9). Ole Miss - N. Lyons; N. Bradshaw(2);G. Morris(5); A. Yates(8); A. Simontis(9).Win-A. Simontis(5-2) Loss-S. LaStrapes(3-3) T-3:02 A-1398Game notes:NATIONAL RANKINGS: UM- #16 CB; #19 BW/ESPN; #22 NCBWA; #24 BASmith (UM) delivers GWRBI with bases loaded single in bottom of 9th toscore Christian ... Sterbens (UM) career-best 19-game hit streak; 2ndlongest streak in UM history ... UM @ Miss. St., Friday, 6:30 pm.S. LaStrapes faced 1 batter in the 9th.Game: UM0514
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