Ole Miss, after a worrisome game one versus the High Point Panthers, managed to get their first series win this weekend at home. A disappointing start to the season had many Rebel fans scared for what the rest of the season could hold, especially after getting upset in game one; however, Ole Miss woke up in games two and three to secure the series win 2-1.
Game 1:
On Friday, Feb. 23, Ole Miss welcomed High Point for their opening home series. Despite being back in Swayze, Rebels could not hold onto this game and were out of it from the very beginning.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard early with two runs in the first inning. This put the Rebels behind, and unfortunately, they could not keep up for the night. Ole Miss was unable to score until the sixth inning, but by that time, the score was 5-1. A single from Campbell Smithwick allowed Jackson Ross to score, putting the Rebels on the scoreboard.
While the Diamond Rebels did have a rally in the seventh inning with a double from Ethan Lege and a home run from Ross, it was not enough to claim the first game. They fell short 7-3, giving High Point the lead of the series.
High Point had all the momentum going into game two, but how did Ole Miss react to this defeat?
Game 2:
The following day, Saturday, Feb. 24, the Rebels came out to play some ball. They had a breakthrough in their batting as they managed to score several runs in the first inning. Andrew Fischer hit a triple, sending Ethan Groff home for the first run; a sacrifice fly from Lege and a two-run homer from Will Furniss gave the Rebels a 4-0 lead in only the first inning.
Ole Miss continued its hot streak, scoring an impressive three runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth. The Rebels did allow two runs for High Point, but the run rule came into effect when the Rebels were up 12-2.
After tying it up game two, it all came down to the final game to decide the series
Game 3:
On Sunday, Feb. 25, the Rebels went into the game in a tied series and stood at 3-4 on the season; a loss here would have been devastating moving forward, but Ole Miss continued its momentum from the previous game and even outdid themselves in the score sheet.
Ole Miss put up an astonishing 11 runs in just the first inning. Several of those runs were home runs – one being a grand slam from Furniss. They also scored in every inning except for the fifth and sixth, which added to the score gap.
The Panthers also helped the Rebels out by having 19 walks in the game. A couple of these walked Rebels home, which only added to the scoring.
Ole Miss only gave up two runs in the entire game, which led to a 25-2 blowout that ended in seven innings.
Up Next:
The Rebels will continue their home stretch against Little Rock on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on SECNetwork+.
