Gators blow out baseball Rebels in Oxford Sunday

OXFORD — Josh Adams hit a 3-run homer to help Florida beat Mississippi 10-2 on Sunday.

The Gators (17-4, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) took an early lead by taking advantage of a fielding error and two doubles in the second inning. Adams’ home run in the fifth inning extended the Gators’ lead to 7-1.

Buddy Munroe hit one over the right field wall in the sixth to put Florida up 8-1.

Cody Overbeck hit a home run and extended his hit streak to 23 games for the Rebels (15-8, 3-3), but it wasn’t enough for the win.

Tommy Toledo (4-0) pitched the win and Nathan Baker (1-3) took the loss.

Florida takes the three-game series after dropping the first game to Ole Miss 5-4 then picking up a 6-4 win on Saturday.

Former Mississippi State star Stroud dies

JACKSON — W.D. “Red” Stroud, a former Mississippi State basketball star and member of the state’s Sports Hall of Fame, has died after battling leukemia. He was 66.

Stroud was a member of the 1963 Bulldogs when the team left Starkville against the wishes of Mississippi leaders to play in the NCAA Tournament against an integrated Loyola team.

During those turbulent years, Mississippi’s universities were pressured not to participate in games against teams that had been integrated.

Reggie Tatum with Ott & Lee Funeral Home of Forest confirmed the death when contacted by The Associated Press. He said Stroud died Saturday afternoon at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson.

Stroud played for the Bulldogs from 1961-63 and was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Stroud averaged 15.1 points during his Bulldog career.

He was also one of the best three-throw shooters in school history, ranking fourth on the university’s career list at 82.5 percent.

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