While most University of Mississippi students were resting and soaking up the sun, Ole Miss Baseball went to work over the two weekends of spring break. On March 8-10, the Diamond Rebels took on the Morehead State Eagles and beat them in a dominant 3-0 series win. The following weekend, March 15-17, Ole Miss shifted its attention to its SEC opener versus South Carolina, a series in which the Rebels upset the No. 19 Gamecocks 2-1.
Ole Miss versus Morehead State
The Rebels clipped the Eagles’ wings, winning games one and two by a combined 19 runs. The Diamond Rebels found batting success in all three games, but primarily in the first two. The Rebels had lost some of their heat in game three, but Head Coach Mike Bianco and his squad kept their composure and pulled out the win to complete the series sweep.
Game one (won 10-3)
The Rebels struck first with a two-run home run from infielder Ethan Lege in the first inning on the night of Friday, March 8. However, the Eagles answered back quickly by scoring two runs in the top of the second inning, tying the game.
Fortunately, Ole Miss broke the tie immediately after by scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning, bringing the score to 6-2. Ole Miss continued the scoring party throughout the game, only logging three scoreless innings.
Despite having 10 runs and 13 hits, the Rebels committed two errors. While small, these were not without consequence and should be cleaned up; these errors allowed Morehead State to get two of its runs.
Game two (won 13-1)
Ole Miss followed its victory over the Eagles on Friday with an equally, if not more, dominant victory the following day. The Rebels were the better team the entire game in both pitching and batting.
Ole Miss had outstanding pitching during this game, as they only allowed one run. As a pitching staff, the Rebels only had three walks while logging 15 strikeouts among the four pitchers used. Left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle had an impressive eight strikeouts in just 3.1 innings, which was about half of the total number of strikeouts.
Batting also had momentum, as the Rebels had 11 hits in the game. Surprisingly, none of these hits were home runs, but a plethora of singles allowed countless Rebels to get on base. This, in turn, led to multiple runs and a 13-1 victory in game two.
Game three (won 6-5)
The day-three Rebels scraped by in this close game, narrowly securing the series sweep. Despite the to-the-wire finish, Ole Miss’ batting continued to make headlines.
Ole Miss found its home run momentum with three of them this game. Third baseman Andrew Fischer and designated hitter Will Furniss hit one in the first two innings. Lege also tallied his second home run of the weekend in this one.
While the Rebels only had seven hits — fewer than the Eagles, who had nine — they were able to get more use out of their hits, ultimately resulting in the one-point victory.
Ole Miss versus No. 19 South Carolina
Ole Miss found a way to turn around its rocky start to the season into a pretty impressive non-conference schedule, headlined by its series win versus Iowa. With nationally ranked South Carolina on the docket, and the fact that Ole Miss only won one conference series last year on everyone’s minds, the Rebels had something to prove against the Gamecocks. The Rebels put in a lot of work in games one and two to capture their first SEC series win of the season 2-1.
Game one (won 5-4)
The Rebels took the first game on Friday, March 15, but not without a fight. Ole Miss struggled in the early innings as the Gamecocks took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. However, the Rebels never let them get too far ahead, as they answered with a run later in the inning.
While Ole Miss lacked home runs in this game, it found momentum in other areas. The Rebels took a 4-3 lead with two runs in the sixth inning thanks to a two-run double from shortstop Luke Hill. This was the first time they led all game, and they were able to keep and extend the lead with another run in the seventh inning.
Timely offense and some serviceable pitching allowed Ole Miss to upset game one and start conference play off right at Swayze Field.
Game two (won 12-3)
On a sunny and warm Saturday, March 16, the Rebels exploded in both pitching and bats. They scored early on with an RBI single from infielder/outfielder Jackson Ross, which was just the start of some impressive batting.
Fischer shone during this game with three home runs, combining five runs batted in. The home run streak continued with both Lege and outfielder Ethan Groff hitting homers as well.
The Rebels went on a run in the eighth inning, scoring an impressive eight runs. Fischer hit his third home run here, and Lege hit his in this inning as well.
Pitching was also on point for this series-claiming game. The Rebels had 15 strikeouts between just four pitchers, with 10 of those belonging to Doyle.
Game three (lost 6-2)
Unfortunately, the Rebels struggled in the series finale, dropping the Sunday game and failing to claim a sweep.
Ole Miss did not score until the sixth inning, which was the only scoring inning. The Rebels only had five hits in the entire game, one being a triple from right fielder Treyson Hughes.
The pitching staff struggled as well, with only seven total strikeouts, which is about half from the previous game. Ole Miss also allowed 11 hits from the Gamecocks, which contributed to them scoring six runs during this game.
What’s next?
The Rebels will head to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The series will be from Friday, March 22, through Sunday, March 24, with the first game at 5:30 p.m. CT
