Thursday night’s series opener didn’t end the way No. 15 Ole Miss had hoped for with No. 18 Alabama taking the win.
Now the Rebels need to win the final two games of the series to move within range for hosting a NCAA Regional and having a chance to earn a first-round bye in next week’s SEC Tournament.
That quest continues Friday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Here’s everything to know about the game.
Game One Recap
Ole Miss came up one swing short Thursday night, dropping the series opener at Alabama 5-4 after a ninth‑inning rally fell just shy.
The Rebels trailed 5-3 heading into the ninth and cut the deficit on an Austin Fawley two‑out RBI single, but the tying run never came around. It capped a frustrating turn after Ole Miss had led 3-2 through six innings.
Hunter Elliott gave the Rebels a strong start, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. He worked a clean sixth, but Alabama opened the seventh with two runners on and forced a pitching change. The Crimson Tide pushed across three runs in the inning, taking a 5-3 lead on a pair of RBI singles and two bases‑loaded walks.
Landon Waters stopped the damage with the final out of the seventh, but the Rebels couldn’t answer until the ninth.
Ole Miss jumped ahead early when Dom Decker homered on the first pitch of the game. After Alabama answered with a two‑run shot in the bottom half, Fawley tied it in the second with an RBI single. Tristan Bissetta put the Rebels back in front in the sixth with his 20th home run of the season.
Starting Pitchers
RHP Taylor Rabe vs. LHP Zane Adams
- Rabe: 3-3, 4.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 51.1 IP, 50 h, 26 R, 26 ER, 7 BB, 68 SO, .251 Opp. BA
- Adams: 6-3, 4.04 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 71.1 IP, 72 H, 35 R, 32 ER, 21 BB, 78 SO, .261 Opp. BA
Weather Forecast
Weather were conditions were splendid Thursday night and that won’t change for game two of the series Friday. The National Weather Service forecast calls for a sunny day “with a high near 83. South wind around 5 mph,” and “Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm,” at night.
How to Watch: No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 18 Alabama
- Who: No. 15 Ole Miss Rebels (35-19, 14-14 SEC) at No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide (36-17, 17-11 SEC)
- When: 6 p.m., Friday
- Where: Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- TV: SECN+
- Radio: Live Radio
- Stats: Live Stats
- Series History: Alabama leads the all-time series 219-156-2
- Last Meeting: Alabama 5, Ole Miss 4 (Thursday)
- Last time out, Rebels: def. UT Martin, 17-6 (7 innings)
- Last time out, Crimson Tide: def. South Carolina, 7-6
The Opponent: Alabama
The Crimson Tide have stacked three straight 30‑win seasons under Rob Vaughn, including a 41‑18 finish and an NCAA Tournament trip last spring.
This year’s group has been steady again. Alabama enters the final weekend of the regular season at 35‑17 and sits fourth in the SEC with a 16‑11 league record. The formula has been pretty simple: pitch it well and defend at a high level. The Tide have turned 40 double plays, second‑most in the SEC, and their 4.08 ERA ranks inside the top 20 nationally.
The projected rotation is Tyler Fay, Zane Adams and Myles Upchurch, and all three carry ERAs under 4.50. Upchurch has been the most consistent with a 3.43 mark. Fay, the Thursday starter, leads the team with an 8‑3 record and 88 strikeouts, and he threw a complete‑game shutout against Florida in March.
Offensively, Alabama doesn’t lean on one star as much as a lineup full of steady hitters. Brady Neal leads the team with a .341 average. Justin Lebron has a team‑best 13 home runs after earning second‑team All‑America honors last season. Bryce Fowler is the other .300‑plus bat at .310, and he leads the Tide with 15 doubles.
Student-Athlete Availability Report
Ole Miss
Out
- P #17 Marko Sipila
- P #29 Grayson Gibson
Alabama
Out
- IF/OF #5 Sam Christiansen
- OF #15 Coleman Mizell
Game Time Decision
- IF #18 Justin Osterhouse
