Maddox self-corrects on the mound and No. 24 Ole Miss clinches series over Wright State
For a second straight night No. 24 Ole Miss saw one of its top pitchers struggle on the mound but then figure things out and clean up their own messes.
After watching ace Hunter Elliott have an off night on Friday it was Riley Maddox’s turn to do the same on Saturday. He did and the Rebels defeated Wright State, 8-3, at Oxford-University Stadium to clinch their second straight series of the season.
Maddox had a clean first inning but then got into trouble in the second and third innings with a combined four walks. Yet each time he got off the field without allowing a run.
“I was struggling there for a little bit,” Maddox said. “The four walks in those two innings was tough. I kind of just lost it, mechanically, and was over-thinking things. Going too fast.”
But a quick meeting in the dugout pitching coach Joel Mangrum after the third inning helped work out the kinks Maddox had on his delivery and managed to get through five-plus innings. He also recorded five strikeouts to go with the walks.
“I wasn’t getting my leg up too high. Needed to get my leg up higher,” Maddox said of the adjustments. “Kind of stay tilted, needed to stay back more on my delivery. Some pitching things and was an easy fix.”
Ole Miss (9-1) did not get into double digits in the hit column, finishing the game with nine but the offense stayed hot to start the game. Seven of the eight runs were scored in the first two innings.
A pair of two-run home runs by Ryan Moerman and Judd Utermark accounted for four runs in the first and the Rebels tacked on three runs in the second to break the game open.
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Both Moerman and Utermark are keeping pace with one another for the team lead in home runs with four apiece. The each also went 2-for-4 at the plate on Saturday.
“(Moerman) had a tough fall but from January on and since we started practicing he swung it as well as anybody,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “Certainly through the first 10 games probably our best hitter.”
Wright State (3-5) got on the board with a run in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. With the game well in hand Sam Tookioan, Landon Waters and Gunnar Dennis worked the final three innings. All three allowed a run but only Tookian and Waters’ runs were earned.
Ryne Rodriguez worked an inning of relief, too, coming into the game in the sixth inning after the leadoff runner got on with an infield single.
The Rebels will try to complete its second straight series sweep on Sunday. First pitch set for 1:30 p.m. CT.
