Life in the Valley

Vandy, Ole Miss Take Out UE, MSU

For a while, both Evansville and Missouri State hung around well against their host SEC opponents – with the Purple Aces battling at #9 Vanderbilt, while the Bears were in Oxford to take on 2022 College World Series champions Ole Miss.

But in the end, Vandy and Mississippi pulled away, as the SEC schools downed their Valley counterparts. Ninth-ranked Vanderbilt defeated Evansville, 7-3; while the Rebels took care of Missouri State, 12-3. For Vanderbilt, it finished off an impressive midweek run against Valley competition. The Commodores defeated defending Valley champions Indiana State, 20-4, on Tuesday night. The Commodores have 5 games left against Valley competition – 3 at home vs. Illinois State March 8-10, and single home games at Belmont (March 19) and at home to Valparaiso (March 26).

In Nashville, Vanderbilt (7-3) took the lead early, as Camden Kozeal doubled in the first to score Jacob Humphrey open the scoring, then Kozeal came home on Jayden Davis’s RBI single. UE got 1 back in the 3rd when Mark Shallenberger’s double scored Ty Rumsey.

But before the Purple Aces (4-4) could score again, Vanderbilt raced out to a 7-1 lead. Up 3-1 in the 6th inning, the Commodores tacked on 4 runs on 4 singles, 2 stolen bases, and a walk to put the game out of reach.

Kip Fougerousse’s monster homer in the 7th inning cut the lead to 7-2. The blast was his 3rd of the season to go with 7 RBIs. He’s hitting .353 on the season.

Evansville’s final run came in the 9th when Brendan Hord reached on an error, allowing Cal McGinnis to score. Despite the loss, Shane Harris turned in a decent starting effort, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits over 4 innings, allowing just 1 walk and striking out 6, despite taking the loss.

Vanderbilt outhit Evansville, 12-3. But for the season, UE is still hitting a robust .318, averaging just less than 10 runs per game (78 scored through 8 games). Evansville’s 27 doubles are tied with Sam Houston for 7th in the country – Austin Peay leads with 32.

In Oxford, Mississippi took a 5-3 lead after 4 innings and then poured it own late to down Missouri State, 12-3. The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd on a wild pitch and Tyler Epstein’s RBI single. But the lead didn’t last long. The Rebels countered with 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd on a pair of 2-run doubles. Each team added a run in the 4th. Missouri State’s marker came when Cody Kelly scored on a passed ball.

But once down 5-3, the Bears weren’t able to muster any additional offense against a quintet of Rebel relievers, who combined to throw 4 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits with 3 walks and 8 strikeouts. Rebel pitchers fanned 13 for the game. Epstein led the Bears with 2 hits (2-for-3, RBI). Kelly scored 2 of Missouri State’s 3 runs.

Zack Stewart continues to lead the Bears with a .375 average (12-for-32), as well as team-highs in runs (9), HRs (3), and total bases (24).

Missouri State (4-4) is home this weekend for 3 games against Arkansas State before traveling to Central Arkansas the following weekend. The Bears still have a series at Kansas State and a single game at Oklahoma State before conference play begins March 22 – with the Bears traveling to Indiana State.

Thursday is a quiet day on Valley diamonds. Here’s a sneak peak at Friday’s schedule, as several conference teams get home games. All times Eastern:

Bradley vs. Omaha, 1 p.m. (at St. Charles, Mo.)
Illinois State at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 3 p.m.
UIC at Ohio, 3 p.m.
Murray State at #2 Arkansas, 4 p.m.
Arkansas State at Missouri State, 4 p.m. (SECN+)
Valparaiso at Elon, 4 p.m.
Little Rock at Belmont, 5 p.m.
Purdue-Fort Wayne at Evansville, 6 p.m.
Indiana State at Southern Mississippi, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Appalachian State at Southern Illinois, 7 p.m.

Bonus: If you absolutely need some college baseball today (and who doesn’t), you can check out Mount St. Mary’s at Mississippi State at 4 p.m. Eastern on SEC Network+ (ESPN+). Consider it advance scouting – Evansville will visit Dudy Noble Field in Starkville for 3 games against Mississippi State next weekend.