How Mississippi State beat Ole Miss with pinch-hitter who hadn't batted in 2 weeks
Why coach Brian O'Connor picked Chone James as the pinch-hitter before Mississippi State baseball's go-ahead triple versus Ole Miss.
OXFORD ā The situation was playing out perfectly for the idea Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O'Connor had in the back of his mind. The No. 4 Bulldogs had just tied the No.
18 Rebels at Swayze Field in the ninth inning after Jacob Parker's RBI groundout. With left-handed Walker Hooks pitching for Ole Miss , O'Connor, coaching in his first MSU-Ole Miss rivalry, knew it was time pinch-hit utilityman Chone James. "If you look at his splits against left-handed pitching versus right-handed pitching, it's really, really great," O'Connor said.
"I had the fortune to coach him last year at Virginia and it was the same way. He dominated left-handed pitching. " With one out, a runner at third base and two strikes, James dropped a hit into right field to score Bryce Chance as the go-ahead run.
Ole Miss right fielder Tristan Bissetta slipped, and the ball rolled all the way to the fence for a triple. MSU (22-4, 5-2 SEC) defeated Ole Miss, 5-4 , on March 27 after trailing by one run entering the ninth inning. Game 2 against the Rebels (19-7, 3-4) at Swayze Field is March 28 (1:30 p.