Weekend Wrap-up: No. 9 Ole Miss earns series win over Long Beach on the road

The No. 9 Ole Miss baseball team hit the road for the first time in the 2018 season last weekend, heading out west to play the Dirtbags of Long Beach State. Due to inclement weather, Friday’s game was moved to a Saturday double-header, while Sunday’s game was played as scheduled.

Game 1: Ole Miss 3, Long Beach 4

(Click here for box score.)

Ryan Rolison, the Rebels’ Friday night ace, took the hill Saturday in Game 1 and pitched for 6 2/3 innings. Though Long Beach owned a 3-0 lead through four complete, Ole Miss battled to tie the game in the top half of the fifth.

Cooper Johnson got things going as he took a pitch on his hip, before being advanced by a Cole Zabowski single. Tim Elko came through at the plate, smashing a double to right center to send Johnson home.

Then, well-hit balls from Grae Kessinger and Nick Fortes forced fielding errors by LSBU third baseman Shaq Robinson, and the Rebels scored runs off both miscues which tied the game at 3.

Long Beach State responded, however, with back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead at 4-3, and the two teams remained scoreless for the remaining innings of the first game.

Ryan Rolison picked up his first loss of the season, going 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs–three earned–striking out three. Will Ethridge came in and pitched 1.1 no-hit innings in relief, walking one and allowing no runs.

Fortes and Zabowski recorded multi-hit games, as each went 2 for 3 in Game 1.

Game 2: Ole Miss 4, Long Beach 3

(Click here for box score.)

Game 2 was as much of a nail-biter as the first half of the double-header. Brady Feigl was stellar on the mound for the Rebels, as the Ole Miss captain scattered 6 hits and 3 runs over 7.1 innings—the longest outing of his career.
He recorded five one-two-three innings in Game 2, only allowing baserunners in the first, third and eighth innings.

Ole Miss got on the board in the second after a leadoff double from Will Golsan to start the inning. Chase Cockrell then moved Golsan to third, before reaching base himself on a throwing error by the Dirtbags’ third baseman.

With Elko at the plate, LBSU pitcher Zak Baayoun threw a wild pitch that scored Golsan and moved Cockrell to third. Elko then garnered his second RBI of the day, grounding out to second while plating Cockrell.

The Rebels tacked on a third run in the inning when Fortes homered deep over the left field wall, giving the Rebels a 3-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Long Beach State strung together four consecutive hits, followed by a hit batter, that gave the Dirtbags their second run of the game.

Long Beach scored its third run on a fielder’s choice, and then found itself with two runners on with one out. But before the Dirtbags could do any more damage, Feigl caught Steven Rivas in a rundown for out number two. He followed that up with a strikeout to get out of the inning with the game tied at 3.

In the fifth, Ole Miss second baseman Jacob Adams got the Rebels going with a single to left field. He then stole second and reached third on a wild pitch, ultimately leading to an RBI groundout for Kessinger that gave the Rebels the game-winning run.

After the fourth inning when the Dirtbags scored three, Feigl dominated, retiring the next 10 batters in order. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Feigl issued a walk before handing things over to closer Dallas Woolfolk.

The ninth inning was tense for Rebels, as Long Beach had bases loaded with only one out, trailing by one. However, Woolfolk, took care of business, getting the Dirtbags’ batters to fly out to end the game with the Rebels emerging victorious, 4-3.

Woolfolk’s 1.2 innings of work was his longest outing of the season, after collecting four one-inning saves coming into the weekend.

Game 3: Ole Miss 12, Long Beach 1

(Click here for box score.)

The Ole Miss bats showed up in full force Sunday, as the Rebels notched 14 hits and scored 12 runs as they defeated Long Beach, 12-1, in Game 3 en route to the series win.

Scoring early and often was the name of the game Sunday, with the Rebels scoring in six of the nine innings. The fifth was huge for the Rebs, as the boys in Red and Blue plated five runs.

Cooper Johnson began the inning for the Rebels with a leadoff walk, followed by Tyler Keenan’s single. Anthony Servideo then put down an excellent sacrifice bunt that put runners in scoring position.

Grae Kessinger hit an RBI single to left field, forcing the Dirtbags to pull their pitcher. After the pitching change, Ryan Olenek drove Keenan home. Nick Fortes and Thomas Dillard were walked, before Will Golsan and Zabowski notched back-to-back singles that gave the Rebels three additional runs.

Ole Miss never trailed in the game. Starter James McArthur went five strong innings for the Rebels, allowing no runs and earning his first win of the season. Max Cioffi, Greer Holston and Conner Green also saw action out of the bullpen.

Next Up: 

Ole Miss returns to action Tuesday, March 6 at Swayze Field. The Rebels will host Austin Peay at 6:30 p.m. CT.