Dylan DeLucia has career night on the mound as Ole Miss defeats South Carolina, 9-1
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Ranked No. 25 in the nation, Ole Miss baseball travelled to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks, looking to improve upon a somewhat slow start in SEC play.
Rebel hitting and pitching would align in this game to allow the Red and Blue to cruise to a 9-1 victory Thursday night for the team’s fifth win in SEC play.
Outstanding pitching
Dylan DeLucia threw a career-high and team season-high 7.2 innings, allowing just one run and scattering six hits combined with four strikeouts as he earned the win for the Rebels. He moves to 2-0 on the season.
The junior from Port Orange, Florida, looked comfortable throwing 118 total pitches, notching two consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth.
Ole Miss third baseman Reagan Burford was asked about DeLucia’s performance.
“I think it was outstanding. It was huge to get a bunch of zeros on the board, big confidence-booster for our staff and it also allowed us to keep some arms. We are fully loaded in the pen and we’re going to be ready to come out tomorrow.“
Reagan Burford on DeLucia’s pitching
“I just got ahead,” said DeLucia of his success. “(I was) mixing up pitches, getting ahead and staying ahead,” he explained.
Pulled the string on him. pic.twitter.com/5OajU3ZKIW
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 15, 2022
Looooooosh pic.twitter.com/3JW5vMpxGE
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 15, 2022
Head Coach Mike Bianco also praised DeLucia’s efforts after the game.
“He had a good mix of fastballs and sliders…that was kind of the game plan going in. We thought his slider/fastball mix would serve us well tonight, especially if he could fill up the strike zone and he did. It looked like he caught another gear…it looked like in the middle innings his stuff even had more life, just a really good outing by him.“
Head coach Mike Bianco on Dylan DeLucia’s career outing
Timely Hitting
Ole Miss used “crooked numbers” to its advantage Thursday night, scoring two in the second, fourth, and eighth and three runs in the third.
TJ McCants got the scoring started with a home run to right field that scored Kemp Alderman in the 2nd inning.
Get gone ball 👋@mccants_tj | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/kPpiU3pVfH
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 14, 2022
The third inning saw Regan Burford power his fourth home run of the season to right center field, scoring Kevin Graham who had led off with a hit by pitch, and TJ McCants who singled.
Burf goes BOOM 💥@burford_reagan | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/3yWoGmmela
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 14, 2022
“Coach Clem really dialed us in our hitters meeting today,” Burford said, praising assistant coach Mike Clement. “My second at-bat, I was sitting heater (fastball) away, he threw it to me, and I put a good swing on it.”
Captain Tim Elko scored Justin Bench with an RBI single, and Graham contributed an RBI-sacrifice fly scoring Jacob Gonzalez in the fourth.
Gonzalez was walked four times in the game, tying him for the single-game record with a number of other Rebels including, most recently, Anthony Servideo in 2019.
The Rebels tacked on runs in the eighth when Bench scored Burford on an up-the-middle single, and Peyton Chatagnier scored on an Elko fielder’s choice.
JB sends it right back where it came from to tack on another run! pic.twitter.com/uTkEuna3sK
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 15, 2022
DeadSoxy Game Ball
Tonight’s DeadSoxy.com game ball goes to Dylan DeLucia.
Giving up just one run in 7.2 innings allowed the Rebels not only to win the game easily, but save the bullpen to put Ole Miss in good shape for the next two games, Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Congrats to Dylan!
Next Up for Ole Miss
Game two at South Carolina is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Rebels look to take the series.
Righty Derek Diamond (3-2, 5.91 ERA, 35 innings pitched and 35 strikeouts) is set to pitch for the Rebs and junior Noah Hall (1-4, 5.40 ERA, 40 innings pitched and 43 strikeouts) will be starting for the Gamecocks.
(Feature image credit courtesy Ole Miss Baseball)
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.
