Ole Miss Evens Series with High Point after 12-2 Win in Game Two

OXFORD, Miss. —  Ole Miss baseball evened the series against the High Point Panthers on Saturday with the score of 12-2 (7) at Swayze Field.

Ole Miss (3-4) had two big offensive innings against the Panthers with home runs by Will Furniss, Jackson Ross and Luke Hill.

Ole Miss’ offense jumped out to an early advantage with four runs in the first, all capped off by a two-run bomb by Furniss to right center. The Rebels’ third baseman Andrew Fisher belted a triple down the line in right.

Furniss finished the game 1-for-2 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI.

The Rebels southpaw Gunnar Dennis came out of the gate battling against the High Point Panthers with back-to-back quick frames to open the game. Dennis sat down three High Point hitters down on strikes.

The Panthers hurler Gus Hughes settled in after the first by holding the Rebels off the scoreboard in three straight frames.

High Point (2-5) scratched for a run in the third inning as Adam Stuart led the frame off with a hit and came in on an RBI base hit by Sam Schner.

Dennis worked 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Coach Mike Bianco made the call to the bullpen in the top of the fifth for junior Josh Mallitz. Mallitz finished the game on the mound and tossed a scoreless 2.1 innings with a hit, a walk and four strikeouts.

Ole Miss answered in the home half of the inning with a two-run shot to left field off the barrel of Ross.

Hughes worked 4.1 innings and surrendered six runs on four hits with five walks and six strikeouts.

High Point called on the left-handed arm of Tyler Romanas. He recorded a third of an inning and allowed a run on four walks and a strikeout.

Ole Miss added five more runs in the six as Ross belts his second home run of the game in a three-run blast to left. Hill capped the inning off with a towering shot to left.

Ross finished the game going 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI.

Ole Miss and High Point will meet on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the rubber match of the series. The Rebels will have Grayson Saunier on the mound.

(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.