Ole Miss Baseball Blasts Way to Win Over UT Martin
OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss baseball capitalized on early offense Tuesday night, scoring seven runs in the first three innings en route to an 11-5 victory over UT Martin.
The Rebels finished with 12 hits, including four home runs. Left fielder Mitchell Sanford finished the game 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI, his third multi-homer game of the season. Campbell Smithwick had a nice day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and a walk. In his first career start, Ethan Surowiec hit his second home run of the season, a three run shot in his first plate appearance.
Sanford started the scoring in the bottom of the first with a leadoff solo home run to take a 1-0 lead.
Ryan Moerman led off the second inning with a hit by pitch and a steal of second base, then advanced to third on an Isaac Humphrey single. Both runners scored on a deep drive by Surowiec to right center field, his second long shot of the year. After a Smithwick double and a sacrifice bunt by Luke Cheng, Sanford stepped up and delivered with a two run homer to left center field, his second of the day.
After starting pitcher Cade Townsend retired the side in order in the top of the third, Ole Miss added to their lead in the bottom half of the inning with another solo home run. First baseman Will Furniss hit a towering shot to deep right field, a 420-foot shot to increase the lead to 6-0.
After the Skyhawks struck for two runs in the top of the fourth and two more in the top of the sixth, the Rebels would answer with one of their own in the bottom of the sixth on a ground ball up the middle by Judd Utermark, scoring Smithwick.
Utermark would be on the receiving end of an RBI in the bottom of the eighth, scoring on a double by Isaac Humphrey. Humphrey would later come around to score on an RBI single by Smithwick.
In the top of the ninth, UT Martin would score one run on a bases loaded walk before Alex Canney sat down the final batter with a strikeout looking to end the game.
Freshman Cade Townsend got the nod to start, going four innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Gunnar Dennis earned the win in relief, throwing one inning, allowing no baserunners with two strikeouts.
Ole Miss will play Auburn Thursday night, kicking off the final series of the regular season.
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
