‘Don’t Let The Rebs Get Hot!’ Ole Miss Defeats Top-Seed Miami, Secures Title-Game Berth
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – True freshman Hunter Elliott battled through some tough innings, Tim Elko delivered yet another clutch hit in his illustrious career, and Ole Miss defeated top-seed Miami, 2-1, on Sunday to secure a berth in the Coral Gables Regional Championship game on Monday afternoon.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES EARLY
In the top of the first, Miami (who was the “visiting team” in this one) loaded the bases with just one out against Hunter Elliott, but the freshman got back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam and keep the Hurricanes off the board.
Absolute nails from the freshman! pic.twitter.com/abZJDMZqzi
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 5, 2022
The Rebels would put two runners on of their own in the home half, but were unable to score as a groundout ended the threat.
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Jacob Gonzalez continues to flash his all-SEC leather, and the top half of the third was no exception. With a runner at first and one down, Maxwell Romero Jr. hit a grounder out to short, but Gonzalez made the play look easy to end the inning.
Poetry in motion. 🤌@jakegonzalez717 x @peytonchat5
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/NQBC5QReDh— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 5, 2022
PITCHERS’ DUEL
Both teams continued to put runners on base, but Elliott and the Canes’ Carson Palmquist just kept doing what they do: working out of jams. Through the first four innings, both teams had at least one baserunner in every inning but failed to score. Elliott was following up DeLucia’s Saturday night performance nicely.
Elliott keeps the line movin'.
He's got 5 Ks through 4. pic.twitter.com/wt2JQtjFB0
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 5, 2022
A STORM BREWIN’
In the Miami sixth, the Hurricanes got a runner on as Johandy Morales walked. Maxwell Romero Jr. followed with what looked to be a routine fly ball into right, but it was dropped by Hayden Leatherwood, and Morales was able to get all the way to third base.
That would be the end of the day for Elliott and Mason Nichols would come on in relief.
Jacob Burke was able to get a SAC fly into center field to give Miami a 1-0 lead, but Nichols would allow nothing more.
Elliott finished another phenomenal outing, with a final line of 5.0 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 5 BB | 8 K | 98 total pitches. After the game, he talked about the advantage of playing on the road in the SEC and the confidence that gives him in games like this.
“I don’t know if there’s a tougher crowd than Baum-Walker for sure. The SEC battle tests you. Even places like Kentucky and other places we play on the road. They get after you and it definitely prepares you for road environments like this.”
Hunter Elliott
The Rebels would put together a threat of their own in the home half, putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out. But two strikeouts and a groundout would end the threat and Ole Miss would fail to score.
NICHOLS KEEPS ‘EM IN IT, ELKO WINS IT
Mason Nichols would continue to give the Rebs a solid outing out of the bullpen, including working a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
The frame ended with a hard-hit grounder that caromed off of his legs but right to Justin Bench who made the play, and the Rebels remained down just one run headed into the bottom half.
With the Rebels batting in the home half, Justin Bench and Jacob Gonzalez both singled, paving the way for Tim Elko to deliver the biggest hit of the season so far for Ole Miss and give the Rebels a 2-1 lead.
THE CAPTAIN DELIVERS!!!
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/Z9dDZsHw78
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 5, 2022
BAH GAWD, IT’S BRANDON JOHNSON’S MUSIC
After his outstanding performance, Nichols would give way to Rebel closer Brandon Johnson with one out and nobody on in the eighth inning, and Johnson would get a strikeout and pop out to end the frame.
The Hurricanes would get a double in the ninth, but Johnson would slam the door and the Rebels would secure a berth in the regional title game on Monday.
BALLGAME!! pic.twitter.com/xrXkfgEBN9
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 5, 2022
Head coach Mike Bianco spoke of how proud he is of his team and how they’ve battled.
“I’m proud of our guys and how they’ve hung in there. I’m proud of Hunter. It certainly wasn’t his best day, but he just hung in there and I don’t know many freshman who can handle what he handled today. To have success in the postseason your stars have to show up and have to play well, but you need help from some other guys and through the past two days we’ve had that.“
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco
LOOKING AHEAD
As Tim Elko told us recently, “Don’t let the Rebels get hot!” because they might just get on a roll.
You heard @TimElko… Don’t let the Rebs get hot pic.twitter.com/rGH332FOQf
— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) May 14, 2022
That sure seems to be the case as the Rebels are now in the drivers seat of the Regional, just one win away from the Super Regional round. Ole Miss would have to lose twice if they were to fail to advance.
The Rebels will face the winner of the Miami and Arizona matchup on Monday at noon CT. Miami and Arizona will play an elimination game on Sunday night to decide who moves on.
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Austin Eldridge
Austin has more than ten years in sports media, including sports talk radio, play-by-play broadcasting and journalism. He has followed Ole Miss athletics for his entire life and has covered the Rebels and the rest of the SEC while working in the Memphis media market. Outside of sports media, Austin is a musician and outdoorsman. Before a serious accident forced him to be medically discharged, he was a multi-media journalist with the Mississippi National Guard.
