By Staff
Special to The Star
March 8, 2001
JONESBORO, Ark. Ole Miss used four different pitchers in shutting down Arkansas State for a 5-2 non-conference win Wednesday evening at Tomlinson Stadium.
The win improved the Rebels to 13-3, giving them their best 16-game start since 1968. Arkansas State dropped to 4-10.
Ole Miss took a 2-1 lead in the third when Lance Jones hit a two-out RBI single and then scored on Burney Hutchinson's double. Kris Cox made it 3-1 in the sixth when his two-out single scored Matt Tolbert from second.
Kent Brunen's solo homerun to lead-off the bottom of the sixth pulled the Indians to within 3-2. However, Ole Miss tacked on insurance runs in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Nathan Lyons (2-0), the second Ole Miss pitcher of the evening, earned the win. He worked 32/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks. Lyons also registered three strikeouts.
Adam Yates pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game and record his first career save while extending his scoreless-inning streak to 231/3 innings.
Arkansas State starter Tommy Goforth (1-1) suffered the loss. He allowed four runs on six hits and five walks, while striking out five in 61/3 innings of work.
Cox, Hutchinson and Chad Sterbens recorded two hits each for the Rebels.
Allen Mazzanti and Wade Massey had two hits for the Indians as each team recorded eight hits.
Ole Miss will open Southeastern Conference play Friday night at 6:30 p.m., when the Rebels host Kentucky at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
Alabama-Birmingham 3, Southern Mississippi 2: Chris George doubled in two runs in the eighth inning to give Alabama-Birmingham a 3-2 victory over Southern Mississippi Wednesday.
A walk, an error and a sacrifice put runners at second and third in the eighth with one out, and George doubled to right-center off Stephen Castleman (2-1) to put the Blazers up 3-2.
Clay Bush (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just three hits for UAB (9-4).
Dusty Haley was 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored for Southern Miss (10-5).