After a lackluster performance on Thursday and a comeback on Friday, the Ole Miss Baseball team lost Saturday’s rubber match against No. 18 Alabama, handing them the series on April 27.
For Ole Miss, the series was dominated by defensive errors and a failure to capitalize on opportunities to put runs on the board.
The Rebels are moving into the final weeks of conference play with a 23-20 record (7-14 conference). This was the first road series win for the Crimson Tide.
Game one (lost 12-0)
The Rebels went into Thursday with a mixed record after defeating North Alabama on April 23, but they lost the series (1-2) against No. 23 Georgia last weekend.
The Crimson Tide rolled into Oxford with a 26-15 record (7-11 conference), in a similar position to the Rebels. Alabama won against Samford University earlier in the week but dropped a series (1-2) against Texas A&M on the weekend prior.
Ole Miss was unable to put a single run on the board, finishing the match 12-0 and allowing the Rebels two more chances to take the series.
Game two (won 9-8)
The Rebels returned to the diamond for Friday’s contest with more energy, making for an interesting matchup.
Ole Miss took the lead at the bottom of the first inning after Sophomore infielder Will Furniss hit a double RBI, putting the first run of the match on the board. From there, it was anyone’s game right up until the end.
Halfway through the sixth inning, the game was tied 7-7. By the top of the seventh, the Rebels had upped the score to 9-7 after two runs between Will Furniss and senior outfielder Ethan Ledge, who both hit solo home runs.
The Tide put the last run of the game on the board at the top of the seventh, bringing the match to 9-8. The Rebels took game two, forcing a rubber match on Saturday.
Game three (lost 10-3)
Saturday’s game did not play out in the Rebels’ favor. Ole Miss remained scoreless until the bottom of the second when the team earned the first run of the game. By the beginning of the sixth inning, the score was 1-1.
Throughout the top of the sixth, Alabama found their groove and rapidly put points on the board, racking up 4 runs.
The Rebels would not score again until the bottom of the eighth, when Jackson Ross, a senior infielder and outfielder, hit a double RBI. The Tide continued to score through the top of the ninth, winning the match 10-3.
Coach Bianco chalked the team’s failure up to inconsistency.
“You go back to the ‘22 team — and not because we’re 7-14 or anything like that — but one of the things we’ve always said about that team is they showed up every day,” Bianco said to the Clarion-Ledger. “They were very consistent in the way they approach practice, the way they approach the game, the way they approach everything. This team’s too inconsistent.”
What’s Next?
The Rebels will face off against rival team Mississippi State next Wednesday in Pearl, Miss., followed by another weekend series at Auburn.
