The Southern Miss Golden Eagles traveled north to Oxford to take on the Rebels in a top-15 matchup Tuesday night. The Rebels ranked fourth in the national polls after a series win over Texas A&M; No. 15 Southern Miss is not far behind, however, also impressing throughout the first half of the season. The Rebels rallied to win by a score of 7-6 after falling in a 4-0 hole to start the game.
The Eagles figured out Ole Miss’ starting pitcher Jordan Fowler early. Six of the first seven hitters in the Southern Miss lineup forced full counts. The lefty Fowler allowed back-to-back singles to start things off, followed by a walk. A sacrifice fly would be the only out he was able to record as the Eagles’ first basemen Hunter Slater hit a three-run home run to build an early lead.
This shaky start comes on the heels of a performance against Texas A&M, where Fowler had to leave the mound after loading the bases.
After pulling Fowler in the first, the Rebels looked to Houston Roth to kickstart the comeback effort. His five innings of relief pitching were important; he struck out seven hitters while only allowing one run.
That one run came courtesy of Slater’s second home run of the game. Roth ultimately surrendered seven hits on the day, stagnating the Golden Eagles’ red-hot offense. Coach Mike Bianco did not let Roth’s performance go unnoticed.
“He was one of the big parts of the game,” Bianco said. “It might get lost in all of it because he does not come away with a win or a save. He put a lot of zeros on the board and kept the game intact.”
The Rebels’ offense soon came to life in the fourth inning. A two-out double to right field by Chase Cockrell scored Thomas Dillard and Tyler Keenan. The inning was the first time the Rebels were able to sustain offensive success on the night, but it would not be the last.
After a quiet few innings, the Rebels broke through again in the seventh inning. Jacob Adams and Grae Kessinger reached base first before Ryan Olenek joined them by way of a mishandled bunt attempt. Nick Fortes inched the Rebels closer after scoring Adams on a fielder’s choice.
The night’s big hit came off Thomas Dillard’s bat. He hit a three-run home run to left field, giving the Rebels their first lead. The switch-hitting Dillard had been struggling to hit as a right-hander, so the blast certainly helped his confidence. Dillard knows he can perform from the right side of the plate, even if the numbers do not tell the whole story.
“It felt good,” Dillard said. “That is the first home run I have hit to left field in my career here. Some of the parents kept telling me to hit one out there. I finally got them one.”
The come-from-behind win was the first time the Rebels have overcome a five-run deficit since May 14, 2016. The win improves their record to 23-3.
Winning against a ranked opponent should help this stellar Ole Miss team build even more momentum before top-five Arkansas visits for this weekend for a three-round bout.
