No. 18 Ole Miss Baseball Drops Rematch to No. 19 Southern Miss In Pearl
PEARL, Miss. – (Release) No. 18 Ole Miss Baseball dropped the first of two neutral site games at Trustmark Park this season, losing 6-2 to No. 19 Southern Miss.
Mitchell Sanford went 2-for-4 with two triples and two RBI. Campbell Smithwick also had two hits in the game. Cade Townsend made his first career start, and three other underclassmen combined just one hit and five strikeouts in the late innings.
The Golden Eagles struck first in the neutral-site game, scoring two runs on a leadoff walk and two hits in the opening frame.
Townsend then settled in and retired seven of the next eight batters he faced, working three innings and striking out five batters in his first career start.
The Rebels tied things up in the third as Campbell Smithwick and Brayden Randle each singled to open the inning. With two outs, Sanford hit his second triple of the night, bringing both runners home to make it 2-2.
Southern Miss put up a four-spot in the fifth inning that would prove to be the difference in the game. Davis Gillespie would hit a three-RBI home run in the inning to break the tie.
After the crooked inning, Ole Miss pitching allowed just one baserunner the rest of the way. Walker Hooks, Hudson Calhoun, and Taylor Rabe worked the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings respectively allowing just one hit and striking out five batters.
Ole Miss loaded the bases with one out in both the eighth and ninth innings, but could not bring a run across, dropping the rematch with the Golden Eagles.
The Rebels will head to Columbia, Missouri this weekend for a road conference series against the Missouri Tigers.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
