OXFORD, Miss. – It was a defensive battle through the first seven and a half innings, but the pitcher’s duel ended in the bottom of the eighth when Brett Basham hit a solo home run to open the inning and give No. 18 Ole Miss (23-11, 8-5 SEC) a 2-1 win over LSU (21-12, 5-8 SEC) on Friday.

Lance Lynn (5-0) picked up the win as he turned in a masterful performance with 12 strikeouts on the night as he allowed one run on two hits with no walks in his 8.0 innings of work. Scott Bittle picked up his third save of the season as he closed out the ninth with two strikeouts and one hit.

Daniel Bradshaw (1-4) took the loss for the Tigers as he gave up the home run to Basham after entering the game in the eighth. Bradshaw allowed two hits with a run and a walk before leaving the game without recording an out. Jordan Brown worked the first 7.0 innings, holding the Rebels to one run on six hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.

Fuller Smith, Logan Power and Jeremy Travis all notched two hits on the night as Fuller Smith scored the game’s only other run for the Rebels off an RBI double from Power.

“The story of the game was pitching for both teams,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Jordan Brown was tremendous, especially with the slider. I was really proud of Lance Lynn. It was the best he’s pitched in a while. He’s given us opportunities to win every time out, but he was really dominant tonight.

“One of the great things about Brett Basham is even if he has a bad at bat, he stays aggressive and keeps swinging,” Bianco said. “A lot of hitters won’t do that and they get tentative and won’t swing. We’re glad he swung at that pitch.”

LSU scored first with a two out home run from Ryan Schimpf that gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the top of the third.

The Rebels answered in the bottom half of the frame with a two out rally of their own as Fuller Smith and Logan Power doubled in back-to-back at bats to even things at one.

Basham opened the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to left field to put the Rebels on top 2-1.

Bittle would enter the game in the ninth and closed out the game to pick up the save and preserve the Rebel win.

Ole Miss and LSU will continue the weekend series at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.