Ole Miss Baseball opened SEC play with a road series against then-No. 3 Texas this weekend in Austin, Texas. The Rebels took the series opener in dramatic fashion but were unable to secure the series, dropping the final two games.
Ole Miss entered the weekend looking to build momentum early in SEC play. They were coming off a walk-off loss to then-No. 7 Southern Miss on Tuesday, March 10.
Including that loss to the Golden Eagles, the Rebels had 27 hits against ranked opponents last week. Fourteen of them came from third baseman Judd Utermark and right fielder Tristan Bissetta. The team also struck out 51 times.
Game one
Ole Miss handed Texas its first loss of the season on Friday, March 13 in an extra-innings battle. The Rebels won the 11-inning contest 9-8.
Hunter Elliott got the start and pitched well in his first SEC game of the season. Elliott’s first six outs were strikeouts.
Utermark singled in the third to get Ole Miss on the board. The Rebels tacked on two more with a ground out and a Bissetta single; however, Elliott walked two batters to start the third and Ethan Mendoza hit a 3-run homer to tie it up.
Texas took the lead with a homer in the fourth. Later in the game, the Rebels found themselves trailing 7-3 after a 3-run homer in the eight.
Ole Miss’ comeback started in the ninth with a ground out RBI. Then Bissetta hit a grand slam to take an 8-7 lead.
Texas answered in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game and force extras. Ole Miss reclaimed the lead in the 11th inning with a go-ahead walk with the bases loaded before closing the door to secure a 9-8 win and take an early lead in the series.
Utermark was 4-of-6 with a double and a run driven in, while Bissetta had three hits and five RBIs. The pair combined for seven of Ole Miss’ 10 hits.
Elliott pitched five innings, allowed four hits, gave up four earned runs, walked three and struck out eight. Taylor Rabe and Hudson Calhoun both pitched two innings, with Calhoun going 2 ⅔ innings. Calhoun had three walks and gave up a big homer. Rabe surrendered just one run and had five punch outs.
Game two
Texas bounced back Saturday, March 14 with a dominant performance to even the series with an 11-2 victory.
Cade Townsend got the start and had a shaky first inning with two walks, two hits and two runs. A run scored on a single to left field before the second runner was thrown out at home; however, the umpires ruled that Utermark obstructed the runner and granted the run.
In the second, Townsend walked the first batter and left the game with an injury. Townsend missed badly on a pitch and did not feel right, prompting head coach Mike Bianco to bring in Grayson Gibson.
Townsend is currently day-to-day with mild inflammation in his shoulder.
The Rebels got within two in the third off a wild pitch and a sac fly, but could not scratch across anything the rest of the game. They went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Texas pitching limited the Rebels offensively while the Longhorn lineup capitalized on scoring opportunities to create separation on the scoreboard. The home team pulled away with a three-run sixth and four-run seven.
Bianco threw six pitchers, none went longer than 2 ⅓ innings. Ole Miss struggled to generate consistent offense throughout the afternoon to set up a rubber match on Sunday.
Game three
Texas claimed the series on Sunday, March 15 with another strong outing on both sides of the ball, 8-2.
The Longhorns struck first with a 2-run home run in the first inning and continued to add insurance runs throughout the game. Texas’ pitching staff kept the Ole Miss offense quiet for most of the afternoon and recorded 16 strikeouts.
Ole Miss pushed across runs in the fifth and seventh, but the deficit was too large and Texas secured an 8-2 victory to win the series.
Starter Wil Libbert only pitched three innings and gave up five earned runs. Walker Hooks allowed two runs in 2 ⅔ innings and Landon Koenig did not allow a hit in 2 ⅓ innings.
What’s next?
With the series loss, Ole Miss opened conference play at 1-2 in the SEC. The Rebels will look to bounce back on Tuesday against Austin Peay. Their next SEC weekend series is against No. 15 Kentucky starting on Thursday, March 19. SEC Network+ will broadcast the games.
The Wildcats are coming off a sweep of unranked Alabama at home.
