Rebels overwhelmed by underdog Mississippi State

The ominous storm clouds looming over Swayze Field hours before Thursday night’s baseball edition of the Egg Bowl seemed to foreshadow the game to come.

The Rebels lost 4-3 in a heartbreaker to cross-state rival Mississippi State in the dramatic opener of a three-game series. The defeat dropped Ole Miss to 16-10 on the season and 3-4 in conference play. There was tough pitching on either side; some innings were filled with tremendous outburst of offense, while others were placated by offensive stagnation. In the end, a major error late in the game allowed the game-winning run.

James McArthur got the start on the mound for Ole Miss and did well to control the flow of the game through six,…