Mississippi rebounds from loss, tops South Carolina

OXFORD, Miss. - Brian Pettway homered, Stephen Head had three hits and Mississippi kept pace in the SEC West with a 7-2 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.

The Rebels (36-16, 14-12 Southeastern Conference) remain a game behind West co-leaders Alabama and LSU, which both won and are 15-11 in league play.

A day after the Gamecocks held them to three hits, the Rebels broke out for 11.

Pettway, who entered leading the SEC with a.411 average, had two hits. He hit his team-best 17th homer of the season, a solo homer in the third, to give Ole Miss a 2-0 lead.

Head and Chris Coghlan each had two RBIs for the Rebels, who scored four runs in the sixth to break this one open.

Winning pitcher Matt Maloney (6-2) struck out eight and allowed two runs in six innings. Head pitched three scoreless innings for his fourth save.

Tommy King hit a two-run homer in the fifth for South Carolina (34-18, 13-13). But loser Zac McCamie (8-3) allowed seven runs in 5 2-3 innings.