No. 5 Ole Miss Baseball Run-Rules Charleston Southern, 11-1
OXFORD, Miss. – Under a bright blue sky, Ole Miss looked to take its first series of the 2022 season, and the Rebels did just that — beating Charleston Southern, 11-1, to win game two and assure a series victory.
Newcomer, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi graduate transfer, John Gaddis saw his first action for the Red and Blue. The vaunted Ole Miss lineup would capitalize on three Charleston Southern errors by scoring four of the team’s 11 runs they plated in unearned fashion.
The Rebels’ scoring started in the second inning when sophomore T.J. McCants singled home second baseman Peyton Chatagnier who had led off the inning with a double down the third base line.
McCants would score after a steal of third and an overthrow of third by the Charleston Southern catcher.
Following a Ben Van Cleve walk, Hayden Leatherwood, in his first at bat of the season, powered a 2-2 pitch to right field. The home run measured 357 feet and came off the bat at 91 miles per hour.
On the board!@mccants_tj | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/TV1OEcxwiC
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
Is a 4.000 slugging percentage good? Asking for @HLeatherwood9… pic.twitter.com/qOUnpFta7G
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
In the third inning, after an infield error by CSU allowed Chatagnier to reach base for the second inning in a row, a Hayden Dunhurst single scored Chatagnier. Then, a Van Cleve double scored Dunhurst putting two more runs on the board to give Ole Miss a 6-0 lead after three complete.
The Swayze Silverback is loose! 🦍@BenVanCleve | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/emgJqco6To
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
Sophomore sensation Jacob Gonzalez doubled to lead off the fourth inning. The Bucs should have learned after an appearance by the Rebel Captain Tim Elko Friday night, but apparently they did not.
Elko came up to bat and blasted an 0-1 offering to the deepest part of Swayze Field. His second home run of the season left the bat at 106 miles an hour and traveled 425 feet, also scoring Gonzalez and giving Ole Miss an 8-1 lead.
Good to see that new ACL isn't slowing @TimElko down… pic.twitter.com/C9VxKKxWCN
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
“Never gets old,” Elko said when asked postgame about his homer.
“I think we have the best line-up and the best hitters in the country. There’s never really a soft spot in the lineup.”
Tim Elko when asked about the Ole Miss lineup
Three walks and a hit-by-pitch yielded an additional run for Ole Miss in the fifth to give the Rebs a 9-1 lead.
In the sixth, Chatagnier and Calvin Harris reached via walk and an outfield error by the CSU right fielder on a Leatherwood fly ball allowed two more Rebel runs to score, making it 11-1 going into the seventh.
The game was called after CSU’s at-bat in the top of the seventh with a final score of 11-1.
‘Don’t Run on Dun’
The second lesson CSU should have learned from Friday night was “Don’t Run on Dun.” Dunhurst, the Rebel catcher and Gold Glove award recipient, gunned down a second would-be base stealer on consecutive nights. Unless your name is Enrique Bradfield, we suggest you stay on first.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣@Hayden_Dunhurst | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/k4U78g7rwA
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
On the Mound
The pitching was outstanding. Gaddis, who deferred medical school for a year to pitch for Ole Miss, allowed just a single run on three hits and two walks and notched three strikeouts.
Riley Maddox faced just one more than the minimum in two innings, giving-up a lone hit and recording three strike outs. Mark Parenteau threw a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts.
First K as a Rebel in the books for @john_gaddis23! 👀 pic.twitter.com/CSKBsfycu7
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
A 1-2-3 debut frame for the rook!
Oh btw, the love is gone. pic.twitter.com/2esNshNFgu
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
“I was a little pumped up and adrenalized but then I kind of settled down,” Gaddis said of his first start.
“It was really fun and really cool,” he said of the atmosphere at Swayze, quipping he was used to playing in front of about 500 at A&M-Corpus Christi.
After the game, Bianco praised Gaddis’ performance. “Terrific… he gets quick outs. Attacks with his fastball.”
Maddox was asked about his role on the pitching staff. “Probably out of the pen like today,” he explained.
“We have so many great guys in the pen this year. This is one of the best pens I’ve ever seen. There’s a lot of that compete.”
Riley Maddox on the Ole Miss pitching staff
DeadSoxy Game Ball
Super senior Tim Elko went 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch, a two-run home run and three RBIs. The Captain continues to be a crowd favorite every time he steps to the plate.
Congrats to Tim, the recipient of Saturday’s DeadSoxy.com Game Ball.
Yeah @TimElko, it landed somewhere way out there. pic.twitter.com/9PIeQoJl0J
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2022
Saturday was the eighth largest crowd in Swayze Field history with 11,621 fans passing through the gate at Oxford-University Stadium.
Next Up for Ole Miss
The Rebels look to sweep the opening series Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Right-hander Drew McDaniel will take the mound, following up a sophomore campaign where he went 5-2.
Hotty Toddy!
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Chris Muller
Chris is our Director of Baseball Content and Senior Baseball Writer. Muller is a 1995 Graduate of Ole Miss. He is a collegiate recreational sports professional currently residing in Arlington Texas with his wife of 25 years, Amber, and German Shorthaired Pointer, Sophie. Chris is an avid Ole Miss Baseball and Football fan. His hobbies include watching college football and baseball and playing poker with his friends.
