BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Mississippi College baseball team erupted for its first win of the 2023 campaign as it blasted Miles College, 23-3, at Historic Rickwood Field on Tuesday, Feb. 7. It is the fifth straight win in the series by MC (1-3) and the ninth all-time against the Golden Bears (2-3).
 
The run total is the most since the 2015 edition plated 25 runs against Tougaloo College on Feb. 7, 2015. It is the most under a Jeremy Haworth-coached program as the previous mark was 21 runs against McKendree on Feb.19, 2018.
 
The Blue and Gold posted crooked numbers in four of the contest's seven innings with a pair six-run frames in third and fourth and two five-run innings in the sixth and to start the game in the first.
 
Four Choctaw recorded multiple-hit efforts led by Beau Bates with three. The Caledonia, Miss., native logged a pair of singles and one of five, extra-bases hits with a double in the sixth. Jordan Rollins joined Bates with a double, Bryce LaRocca and JT Vance each added a triple and Alex McWhorter became the third different Choctaw with a home run this season as he belted a three-run bomb in the first inning.
 
Five MC players notched multi-RBI efforts paced by LaRocca with four runs driven in. McWhorter and Bates joined with three RBI as Rhett Birdsong and Bridley Thomas each pasted two to round out the multi-RBI producers.
 
MC totaled 15 hits for the first time since April 10, 2022 at Delta State. It is the first time with 20-plus runs since Mar. 29, 2021 at Union (Tenn.) University.
 
Austin Huggins (1-0) logged the win on the bump as he allowed three runs – one earned – on three hits with four walks and a strikeout in four innings in the start. Ervin Simmons fanned five and held Miles hitless through two innings of relief.
 
The Golden Bears scratched across two runs in the second to clip the margin to 5-2 through the first two innings. They added their final in the third frame after MC added its first six-run frame in the top half of the inning. LaRocca headlined the frame with a bases-clearing triple that extended the margin to 10-2. A Caleb Reese RBI-single concluded the scoring in the inning.
 
The Choctaw continued to pour it on from there as posted 12 unanswered runs to close the contest.
 
Hagen Gingras paced the Purple and Gold at the plate as he drove in two runs and had one of its three hits on the day. Conner Whitfield (0-1) took the loss on the mound with 2.1 innings of action as he surrendered nine runs on five hits with five walks.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Friday, Feb. 10 as it travels to Tigersville, S.C., for the first of a three-game series with the defending Division II National Champion and preseason top team, North Greenville University. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.
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