answering the call

Getting the ball on opening day is a big deal for a pitcher. It says a lot about how you’re thought of and what’s expected of you. The three aces thrown by Mississippi’s Big 3 Division I schools on Friday did not disappoint. All three went deep into their games, and all three won, with nice numbers to boot. Southern Miss’ Andrew Pierce, the senior right-hander from Stringer and Jones County Junior College, threw seven innings in a 5-2 win over Missouri; he allowed six hits, one run, fanned nine and walked one. That’s an ace. Ole Miss junior righty Bobby Wahl worked 6 1/3 against nationally ranked TCU and yielded three hits and no runs with eight K’s and three walks in the 1-0 victory. Mississippi State pounded overmatched Portland 16-1, but the work of starter Jacob Lindgren, the sophomore lefty from Bay St. Louis, should not go unheralded. He went six, allowing five hits and the one run with three strikeouts and three walks. Now, of course, we’re eager to see what these three will do for an encore.