STARKVILLE, Miss. —The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 5-1 and secured their second straight Governors Cup victory. Pico Kohn drew the start for MSU, and he pitched well. The Alabama native is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and has improved in each start. 

Kohn threw four innings and got five strikeouts. His only blemish came in the top of the second inning as Rebel’s third baseman, Judd Utermark, hit a solo home run over the left-field wall. 

The Bulldog offense scuffled; they loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but the designated hitter Amani Larry flew out to end the inning. They did not put much together until the bottom of the fifth as catcher Joe Powell singled, and Dakota Jordan got his third hit to set up the red-hot Hunter Hines. 

The Madison, Mississippi native delivered as he dropped a single into center field to drive in Powell. Karson Ligon took over on the mound for Kohn, and the Miami transfer threw 1.2 scoreless innings. 

State needs all the help they can get in the bullpen, and Ligon has the talent to be valuable to this staff. Cam Schuelke replaced Ligon and threw 1.2 innings but walked his last two batters. 

Tyler Davis came in to handle the two-out jam and got a strikeout. MSU got lead-off singles in the sixth and seventh innings but failed to drive in a run. 

Part of that was bad luck as Bryce Chance lined a lead-off single into center field, and David Mershon smashed a ball, but Ole Miss first baseman Will Furniss made a diving grab and tagged Chance to end the threat. However, State finally took the lead, and a hustle play by Connor Hujsak proved to be the difference. 

Hujsak was hit by the pitch and moved to third on a wild pitch that went all the way to the screen. Larry walked, and Logan Kohler grounded into a fielder’s choice to give MSU their first lead of the game. 

Chance worked a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead, and Mershon broke the game open with a two-RBI double. Tyson Hardin came in to close the game 

This win was essential for the Bulldogs on their route to hosting a regional, and once again, they got clutch hits to separate late in the game, something they struggled with early in the season. State now must prepare for a massive weekend series against Alabama at Dudy Noble Field. 

Baby-Friendly USA, the accrediting body and national authority for the U.S. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, has re-designated Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi as a “Baby-Friendly hospital.”

This designation “demonstrates Baptist North Mississippi is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.”

“Baptist North Mississippi is proud to serve as a Baby-Friendly Hospital,” said Brian Welton, CEO and administrator of Baptist North Mississippi. “We are committed to providing the support, education and resources moms need to successfully initiate breastfeeding and continue breastfeeding when they leave our care.”

Baptist North Mississippi received its initial Baby-Friendly designation in 2018. Redesignation is a two-year process and is ultimately conferred through an onsite assessment. Redesignation “classes” are defined by the year the designation expires.

“The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,” a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund for optimal infant feeding support in the first days of a newborn’s life. It serves as standards for initial designation.

Baptist North Mississippi is among more than 20,000 baby-friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, with 500 located in the United States. These facilities “provide an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.”

As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA is responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care by coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the U.S.

Learn more about Baby-Friendly USA and the BFHI at www.babyfriendlyusa.org.

By Les Ferguson
Columnist

If I’ve done the math right, it was 1983. We were oh-so-young, and so was the World Catfish Festival in Belzoni. The annual event was only six years old, and Belzoni was a tiny delta town. Current statistics show that the city has a population under 2,000. If it was more significant in 1983, it wasn’t by much. 

As I said, my now wife and I were very young and with her parents. I only remember a few specifics of what the festival had to offer. Of course, an event celebrating Mississippi’s catfish industry and Belzoni’s epicenter meant plenty of catfish to eat, cooked multiple ways with all the sides and fixings. 

I explicitly remember eating hushpuppies, fried onion rings, and coleslaw. I was not tempted to eat chitlins that day — I’d already tried them before, and once was enough. Despite my young age and much higher metabolism, I suspect I’m still carrying a pound or three from that day. 

But the best memories of that long ago time were holding hands with my best girl as we wandered through the booths and displays of the event. I can still see her in the bright sunlight, the smile on her face, the twinkle in her eyes, and the highlights in her hair. 

This past weekend, Oxford hosted its annual Double Decker Festival around the town square. Before the event, it was estimated that some 75,000 would attend — quite a difference from Belzoni in 1983.

Like many others, my still-best girl and I shuffled from booth to booth. Shuffled is a perfect description — it was so crowded that one could hardly walk. As we did that long ago day, we held hands the best we could amidst the crowd’s crush. I ate catfish and hushpuppies again. My girl bought some art.

It was a good day. It was a day of memories. It was a day of making new memories. And in a funny way, the memories of that long ago day and those created this past Saturday all run together. They tell the story of a life blessed by the presence of another. 

I pray you will know, experience, and revel in good, strong, and beautiful relationships — and eat the Mississippi catfish, too!

As King Solomon says, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.”

(Ecclesiastes‬ 4‬:9‬-10‬ CSB‬‬)