Ole Miss bats get going; Rebels defeat UCF, 9-1, to take the series over the Knights
ORLANDO, Fla. – The offense Ole Miss was looking for on Saturday showed up a day later.
After getting just three total team hits in a loss to UCF Saturday, Kemp Alderman equaled that amount himself as the sophomore went 3-for-4 with a double to lead the Rebels to a 9-1 win and take the series against UCF Sunday.
The Rebels improved to 10-1 on the year.
Hayden Dunhurst got Ole Miss on the board early with a double down the right field line to score Alderman, and he trotted home on Peyton Chatagnier’s ground out to give the Rebs a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
“We came out and responded, put pressure on them and moved the ball around. Pitching was just as dominant as yesterday.“
Ole Miss catcher Hayden Dunhurst
Battle: won.@Hayden_Dunhurst dumps one into the corner and the Rebs are on the board! pic.twitter.com/wOhJpH3RZN
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 6, 2022
UCF scratched back for a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Rebels put up two more in the fourth, highlighted by a run-scoring double by Jacob Gonzalez to put Ole Miss ahead 4-1.
Now that's a quality piece of hitting right there.@jakegonzalez717 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/sCOMyoe7lK
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 6, 2022
The bats stayed alive in the fifth inning as Chatagnier sent a shot down the left field line to score Alderman and Calvin Harris to give the Rebels a cushion.
In the ninth, Ole Miss added three insurance runs to win going away.
Chatagnier finished the game driving in four runs, while Reagan Burford had three hits and Dunhurst and Harris had two hits apiece.
On the mound, Dylan DeLucia threw four innings of relief, striking out six Knights to earn his first save of the season. Jackson Kimbrell pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball to earn his first win of the year.
After the game, head coach Mike Bianco talked about the Rebels’ middle relief pitching.
“I’m really happy with it. There’s more in us and we have to get better. We have to be a little more dominant, but it’s kind of been the bright spot. That’s been nice to see. I thought with a lot ore pressure on the line, close game on the road, our guys handled it well.“
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco
Filth.@jacksonkimbrell | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/bVJPSOgAKO
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 6, 2022
Kid's got juice in that arm 🔋@dylan_delucia22 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/wQIgLCIYQ3
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 6, 2022
NEXT UP:
Ole Miss returns home for a pair of midweek games. Memphis visits Swayze Field Tuesday and Alcorn State comes calling Wednesday. Next weekend, the Rebels host Oral Roberts in a three-game set.
(Feature image credit: Ashley Herman)
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
