The Ole Miss baseball team dominated Eastern Kentucky 3-0 in its first home weekend series of the season Feb. 21-23.
Game one (won 8-0)
Hunter Elliott led the Rebels to a dominant win in the series opener Friday afternoon, pitching six scoreless innings while striking out 10 and allowing just three hits. Mason Morris threw three shutout innings in relief, earning his first save of the season.
The Rebels struck first in the third inning when Luke Hill singled to right field to bring home Mitchell Sanford. The game broke open in the fifth when Campbell Smithwick delivered a clutch two-run single, scoring Isaac Humphrey and Hill to extend the lead to 3-0.
Ole Miss kept the pressure on in the sixth, as Hill added an RBI single, scoring Brayden Randle. A throwing error by the Eastern Kentucky catcher brought Sanford home again, making it 5-0.
In the seventh, Will Furniss launched a solo home run to left field, his first of the season, to push the lead to 6-0. Smithwick added another RBI single in the eighth, and a wild pitch brought Connor Chisolm home to round out the Rebels’ 8-0 victory.
Smithwick finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Hill went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Furniss also went 2 for 4 with a solo home run and an RBI.
Game two (won 9-4)
The Rebels continued their strong performance with a 9-4 victory in the second game of the series on Saturday.
Hayden Federico scored on an unearned run after Ryan Moerman’s single to left field. In the second, Federico came through again, this time driving in two runs with a double down the left field line that scored Sanford and Austin Fawley, extending the lead to 3-0.
Moerman added a solo home run in the third inning, and Hill followed with another solo shot in the fourth and pushed the lead to 5-0.
Eastern Kentucky responded in the sixth with a bases-loaded triple from Kam Taylor, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Ole Miss quickly regained control in the bottom of the inning with a Collin Reuter home run, and Humphrey and Fawley added RBIs to make it 8-3.
A Julius Scearce home run for Eastern Kentucky in the eighth cut the lead to 8-4, but Ole Miss answered with an RBI single from Sanford to round out the scoring at 9-4.
On the mound, Riley Maddox pitched five scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing just three hits and two walks. The Rebel bullpen held strong to seal to clinch the series.
Game three (won 9-3)
Ole Miss completed the series sweep Sunday, fueled by an early offensive surge and a strong outing from Mason Nichols.
The Rebels struck first in the opening inning. Federico stole home, and Humphrey swiped second before Moerman delivered an RBI single to left field, putting Ole Miss up 2-0.
Smithwick extended the lead in the second with a two-run home run to right field, scoring Furniss. Later in the inning, Sanford drove in two more runs with a single to right and brought home Humphrey and Hill for a commanding 6-0 advantage.
Eastern Kentucky got on the board in the third with a home run from Hayden Duffield, but Nichols and the Rebel bullpen kept the Colonels in check. Nichols earned the win, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out five.
Sanford added another RBI in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Hill to make it 7-1. In the seventh, Humphrey singled to right, bringing home Federico and Owen Paino and stretching the lead to 9-1.
Eastern Kentucky showed late life with a two-run home run from Scearce in the eighth, but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit.
Ole Miss used six pitchers in the series sweep, with Nichols leading the way. The Rebel bullpen combined for 14 strikeouts, while allowing just three runs on seven hits.
Who’s next?
Ole Miss will be back in action Tuesday, Feb. 25, hosting Southern Miss at 4 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network+.
