BATON ROUGE - A dramatic night at the Box featured back-to-back homers in the eight inning by Daniel Cabrera and Drew Bianco as LSU overpowered Ole Miss 8-3 in game one's victory at Alex Box Stadium.

Ma'Khail Hillard made his first SEC series opening start of the season, and he did everything Paul Mainieri needed. The sophomore escaped a couple of jams early in the first and second inning. Hilliard punched out four Rebels and allowed six hits and two earned runs.

After that entered the "Wild Thing." Zack Hess made his return to the pen and he was the story of the night. An emotional, passionate and fiery Hess gave Mainieri four innings of dominant relief pitching. He struck out seven and allowed only one run. 

Ole Miss loaded the bases in the eighth but Mainieri elected to keep his horse in the game. The next batter was Cooper Johnson — who homered off him earlier. Hess blew two 95 mile per hour heaters past Johnson to escape the bases loaded jam. 

With the emotions already running high, LSU would blow the doors off in the bottom half of the eight. Drew Bianco, the son of Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco was called upon to pinch hit. The first pitch Bianco saw was crushed into the left field bleachers for a solo-shot, his third home run of the season. On a night when his father turned 52, Bianco flipped his bat and admired every second of the home run.

Off the bench, first pitch, no problem for @DrewBianco8! pic.twitter.com/p2uGpO3vdB

— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 4, 2019

LSU will look to clinch the series with Eric Walker set to make the start on Saturday night.