Ole Miss Baseball Splits Opening Weekend Series with Hawaii
HONOLULU — Ole Miss baseball fell 13-4 to Hawaii in game four Sunday as the Rainbow Warriors took the backend of the four-game slate to split the series with the Rebels, 2-2.
“I just said on the air that it’s a disappointing day to finish off a disappointing weekend after you win the first two of the four-game series,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said postgame. “We said yesterday that we had to play well to go 3-1.”
Bianco: “I can’t remember in 24 years playing the game so poorly in all three phases. There will be some bright spots but they are hard to even mention right now…”
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) February 19, 2024
Ole Miss (2-2) made Hawaii’s pitcher Cory Ronan work in the top of the first as he walked three batters and the ‘Bows changed pitchers with bases loaded with one out. Hawaii called on the arm of Zacary Tenn. Ethan Lege brought in the first score on a sac fly to center.
Ronan recorded an out in his outing and had a run charged to him.
Rebel pitcher Riley Maddox had a shaky start to the bottom of the first with a hit-by-pitch, a single to Jordan Donahue and a double to Austin Machado that scored two runs.
“We scored first,” Bianco said. “We offset the tone on the mound (for Maddox). It is uncharacteristic for him, as he just goes out there and does it. He didn’t throw the ball in the strike zone enough to give himself an opportunity. After that all of a sudden, we lost a ton of confidence.”
Maddox finished the day working two innings, allowing five runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Ole Miss’ designed hitter Bo Gatlin got hit by the first pitch and left at second.
Hawaii (2-2) had a five-run third inning as 11 batters came to the plate. The Rainbow Warriors had hits from Kyson Donahue and Dallas Duarte. Hawaii led Ole Miss 9-1 after three innings.
Ole Miss cut into the Rainbow Warriors’ lead with a three-run fourth. Lege got the Rebels’ first hit of the game then Judd Utermark got hit by a pitch and Bo Gatlin had an RBI single that brought Lege home. Ole Miss catcher Campbell Smithwick brought Utermark in on an RBI double, and Gatlin scored on an RBI flyout off the bat of Luke Hill.
Hawaii scored its 10th run of the game on a throwing error as Jared Quandt came in to score.
The Rainbow Warriors used a total of eight pitchers in the game.
Bianco brought Josh Mallitz to the mound in the fifth and retired Hawaii in order. Mallitz worked two innings and surrendered no runs on one hit with a walk and three strikeouts.
Final line in @joshmallitz‘s return to the mound:
2.0 IP
0 R
1 H
1 BB
3 K pic.twitter.com/T7O6NZxMp9— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2024
Freshman left-hander Austin Simmons, also a quarterback on the Ole Miss football team, debuted on the mound in the bottom of the seventh and retired the side with two strikeouts.
“Terrific. He’s one of the guys alluded to when we mentioned a bright spot…proud of him and excited for him,” Bianco said.
Hawaii added three runs in the eighth inning to go up 13-4.
A total of seven pitchers took the mound for the Red and Blue. Riley Maddox (0-1) was charged with the loss for Ole Miss.
Next Up:
Ole Miss opens up at home on Wednesday as they play host to Arkansas State. The first pitch is set for 4 p.m. and can be streamed on SECNetwork+.
(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Baseball)
Adam Brown
Adam Brown joins The Rebel Walk as the Managing Editor after being on the Ole Miss beat as a Sports Editor for over 11 years. He is a lifelong Oxford resident. Brown graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Prior to The Rebel Walk, Brown was the sports editor of HottyToddy.com covering every Ole Miss sport and local high school sports in the community.
