In their yearly in-state rivalry game at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., the Ole Miss Baseball team bounced back from a tough second inning and defeated the University of Southern Mississippi 8-3.
Southern Miss gave the Rebels a slight scare in the first inning with a two-out double. The Rebels got the third out and found their strength with two runs on two hits in the first inning, putting them up 2-0.
The Golden Eagles fired back immediately in the second inning with three hits and three runs, which put Ole Miss in a losing position at 2-3.
After that punch in the face, the Rebels had a scoreless third inning. Ole Miss started the top of the fourth inning by giving up a hit, but the team was able to get Southern Miss shortstop Ozzie Pratt out as he attempted to steal second base.
The Rebels started out strong in the bottom of the fourth inning with a single from shortstop Luke Hill and a walk from catcher Campbell Smithwick, but they could not get any runs.
Ole Miss then opened up in the bottom of the sixth inning by loading the bases and scoring two runs. This put the Rebels back in the lead for the first time since the first inning.
The Rebels also got their pitching in line, as right-handed pitcher Riley Maddox went for six innings and had six strikeouts and no walks. He also faced 24 batters in those six innings.
The Rebels extended the gap in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Bo Gatin, which resulted in a run. Also, an error from the Golden Eagles helped Hill score from second base.
Ole Miss scored another two runs in the eighth inning with a two-run homer from infielder Ethan Lege, putting the game well out of reach for the Golden Eagles and clinching victory for the Rebels.
Ole Miss will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to take on the University of Tennessee Volunteers in a three-game conference series from March 22-24. The first game will start at 5:30 p.m.
