Ole Miss and Alabama battled for 10 innings Saturday night, and the Crimson Tide came out on top 6-5.
By virtue of the Tide’s 7-6 win Friday night, Alabama claims the series. A 1 p.m. third game is set for Sunday.
Quoting the Rebels –
Sikes Orvis:
“Today is a perfect example of just how tough this league is. Two times we had the lead late in the game and couldn’t get it done. Anybody can beat anybody, and tonight’s a perfect example. We’ve got to do a better job of being tough and making sure late in the game to get the outs and the hits so they can’t come back.”
Coach Mike Bianco:
“It’s been a bad week for the bullpen, starting down at Pearl. The last three games we’ve lost, we had the lead. We have to be better out of the bullpen and we have to be better in the field. We have to make plays at the end of the game to win the game.”
The Game
Rebel starter Christian Trent gave up two runs in the first inning but settled down nicely after that. When he exited in the seventh, he had allowed only one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He now has 39 strikeouts and four walks on the season.
Trailing 2-0 after Alabama scored two runs in the first, Ole Miss left runners stranded at first and third with one out in the fourth but finally got a run home in the fifth.
Will Jamison and Auston Bousfield reached on singles to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch from Alabama starter Justin Kamplain got J.B. Woodman, pinch running for Jamison, home from third. Braxton Lee walked but the lone run was all Ole Miss would get, stranding two more in that frame.
Woodman singled with two outs in the seventh, followed by a Bousfield walk. Another Kamplain wild pitch put them both in scoring position. Lee with a single up the middle got both runners home to give the Rebels a 3-2 lead.
That was it for Kamplain. Ray Castillo relieved him and was about to get out of things, it appeared. But the Alabama left fielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Austin Anderson and Lee came home for a 4-2 Rebel lead. That’s the way things stood at stretch time.
After getting an out in the seventh, Trent was relieved by Preston Takington who got two strikeouts to move things to the eighth. The score remained 4-2 Ole Miss, and Josh Laxer came in to begin the Alabama eighth.
An Errol Robinson error at shortstop allowed Georgie Salem to reach to start the bottom of the eighth. That was followed by a single from Mikey White to put Tide runners at first and second. Laxer then walked Ben Moore to load the bases with no outs.
Kyle Overstreet then walked and a run was in for Alabama to cut the Ole Miss lead to 4-3. Wyatt Short was then called on to replace Laxer with a mess on his hands – bases loaded, no outs, a one-run lead.
Wade Wass tied the game on a fly ball to center field. Austen Smith then hit a line shot to third baseman Anderson who threw to Orvis for a double play to end the inning and the game tied 4-4.
That’s the way things stood until the tenth.
In the tenth Holt Perdzock reached on a single and an error on the second baseman. The ball went into the Bama dugout and Perdzock stood at second base. Camerson Dishon was sent in to run for Perdzock.
Dalton Dulin was out on a fouled off third strike. After a pitching change, Orvis singled to score Dishon and make it a 5-4 UM lead.
Short headed back to the mound to try to close it out for the Rebels. White walked and Moore was hit by a pitch.
Overstreet sac bunted the runners to second and third. Wass was intentionally walked. Smith then flew out to right to tie the game 5-5. Webb singled to left to score Moore and that was the game and the series. –Jeff Roberson, OMSpirit.com
Rebels Drop Series to Alabama
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