Ole Miss Baseball lost their first game of the season 6-5 to Baylor on Feb. 27 at Daikin Park to begin the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. The Rebels gave up a run in the 10th inning and could not respond in the bottom half.
Starting pitcher Hunter Elliott lacked control to start the first inning. He allowed two walks and a hit by pitch to crowd the bases. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Baylor left fielder Hunter Snow scored second baseman Pearson Riebock to put the Bears on the board first, 1-0.
The Rebels struck back quickly. Designated hitter Collin Reuter and first baseman Will Furniss opened up the bottom of the second with hits, and Reuter scored on an error to tie the game at 1-1.
After early scoring, the bats went quiet, and Elliott and Bears’ starter Stephan Stahl settled in. Elliott struck out the side in both the fourth and the fifth, while Stahl fanned three batters of his own in the bottom of the fourth.
Stahl’s day ended first and Baylor handed the ball to reliever Charlie Atkinson. Atkinson retired the first two batters and walked third baseman Judd Utermark. Transfer Tristan Bissetta broke the tie game open with a no-doubt home run to right field to put Ole Miss up 3-1.
Elliott set the tone for Ole Miss pitching, notching a career-high 11 strikeouts in five innings. The bullpen made it difficult for Baylor to put the ball in play. Rebel pitching totaled 20 punch outs on the night in what was undoubtedly a dominant performance from the staff for most of the game.
Junior Hudson Calhoun took over for Elliott and looked in control going into his third inning of relief. However, he allowed an opposite field three-run home run from Snow that gave Baylor a 4-3 lead.
Bissetta delivered again with a game-tying solo shot to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Ole Miss captured a 5-4 lead with an Austin Fawley sacrifice fly that scored pinch runner Owen Paino on a very close play at the plate.
Three more outs would have kept Ole Miss in the win column, but the Bears continued their timely hitting. Nine-hole batter JJ Kennett hit a bloop single to score outfielder Ty Johnson and tie the score at five.
In the bottom of the ninth, Utermark singled up the middle and advanced to third on a single from Paino. However, with the go-ahead run just 90 feet away, Furniss grounded out to force extras for the first time this season for Ole Miss.
To begin the 10th, a designated runner was placed at second base. This complies with the BRUCE BOLT College Classic rules, but is not a part of the NCAA’s rules.
Reliever Landon Waters struck out the side in the top of the 10th, but not before allowing Baylor first baseman Tyce Armstrong to knock in the designated runner on second to give the Bears a 6-5 lead.
The Rebels had a chance to tie the game with the designated runner at second, but left him stranded. Despite solid pitching performances and an incredible game from Bisetta, Ole Miss did not have a single hit with runners in scoring position.
What’s next?Ole Miss will face Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 11:05 p.m. at Daikin Park for their second game of the Classic. Astros.com/YouTube will stream the game.
