OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss center fielder Ethan Groff crashed into the center-field wall while leaping and trying to snag Dylan Crews’ low-hanging drive.
It looked catchable, but Groff came up empty as the ball hit the grassy hill behind him, where students sat on blankets in pastel shades of blue and red.
As he rounded the bases, Crews pointed to the stands along the left-field line where the LSU baseball parents cheered. It would be the first of two home runs he would hit in LSU’s 8-4 victory over Ole Miss on Saturday at Swayze Field.
The victory clinched the series for LSU after a late Friday night 7-3 victory over the Rebels. The Tigers (31-7, 11-5 SEC) will go for their first Southeastern Conference sweep of the season at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
LSU right-hander Ty Floyd recorded a quality start in the longest outing of his career, throwing 111 pitches in 8⅓ innings. He gave up three earned runs on five hits, walking one and striking out eight.
After shutting out the Rebels (21-18, 3-14) through the first five innings, Floyd gave up a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to Kemp Alderman. He recovered by retiring the next eight batters he faced.
Crews launched home runs in back-to-back innings to produce the first six runs in the game. His two-run shot in the first put LSU up 2-0, and he double the production with a grand slam in the second.
Crews’ plate discipline has helped him become the most dangerous hitter in the nation, as he leads the country in batting average (.488) and on-base percentage (.647). His 42 walks going into the weekend were tied for first.
His reputation precedes him, and he doesn’t get many gifts from pitchers. In fact, he was intentionally walked a combined four times by Tulane and Kentucky last week.
Before Saturday, his last home run was on March 25 against Arkansas, but after lining a triple to the wall on Friday night against the Rebels, Crews was primed for a big day. He finished 3 for 5 with six RBIs.
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