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Ole Miss Baseball: Rebels Throttle ULM 21-7 In Game 1, Sweep Hawks In 5-3 Win

By Daniel Skipper

Jun 24, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Baseball before the contest between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Baseball before the contest between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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No it isn’t a football score or a typo. Yes it is the score of the Ole Miss baseball game. Ole Miss baseball hosted UL-Monroe in game 1 of a 2 game midweek series. The Rebels lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 21-7 to take a short 7 inning game 1.

The scoring began with ULM jumping on the board early in the 1st. UL-Monroe even seemed to be in control going in the bottom of the 4th with a comfortable 7-3 lead. This Ole Miss baseball fan was very uncomfortable. However, the Rebels scored 18 unanswered runs to close out game 1 with a 21-7 win. Of course, it was Star Wars night.

You know anytime you add Star Wars to anything, then you expect good things to happen. And it happened to the Ole Miss batting order last night. Whether it was ‘The Force’ or just the release of pent-up hitting frustration, Ole Miss blew wide open at the plate.

Ole Miss racked up 17 hits completely obliterating the Warhawks pitching staff. On the night, 9 Rebels would produce hits at the plate, while 6 Rebel hitters had multiple hits. Let’s break down the Rebel batting order and see what they did.

At The Plate

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Sophomore Nick Fortes lead all Rebel batters in the game. Fortes went 3 for 5 knocking in 6 RBIs. He also blistered 2 HRs in the same inning. Rebel DH Tim Rowe was 2 for 2 while knocking in 3 RBIs.

Sophomore Ryan Olenek (.261) went 2 for 5 in the box while knocking in 2 RBIs. Will Golsan went 1 for 3 and added 2 RBI’s as well. Freshman Grae Kessinger also got in on the RBI action and added 2 himself. The Oxford native was 1 for 2 on the night.

Tate Blackman (.290) went 3 for 4 in the game while Colby Bortles went 1 for 4. Freshman and Oxford native Thomas Dillard (.227) went 2 for 4 and Freshman catcher Cooper Johnson (.205) went 2 for 3 on the day.

According to OleMissSports.com, the Rebels were 17 for 33 at the plate and hit .555 as team. One glaring statistic was the 2 runners stranded on base. That 2 looks much better than 9.

When the Ole Miss baseball team can consistently hit thru the lineup like they did last night, we will see more wins. Offensively, they are hot at the plate and have definite momentum going into the game today. Lets look at defense.

On The Mound

Freshman right-hander Greer Holston got the start for game 1 against the Warhawks. Don’t let the numbers 21-7 fool you. This was a rough day for the young pitcher. Holston went 3.1 innings and allowed 7 earned runs on 9 hits. Although, Holston (2-3, 4.44) had a tough day, he still chalked up 5 Ks. Luckily, Holston received help from ‘The Force’.

Holston also got help from the Rebel bullpen in the arm of freshman right-hander Houston Roth. Roth (3-0, 0.87) pitched 2.2 innings of duty on the rubber, and was solid. The junior right-hander struck out 5 Warhawk hitters while giving up only 1 hit.  Sophomore Andy Pagnozzi entered the game in the bottom of the 6th. Pagnozzi recorded 1K. Houston Roth, picked up the win for his 2.2 innings of scoreless effort.

Game 2

Today’s 5-3 win didn’t have quite the wow factor as the 21-7 swat-fest win from the evening before. However, today’s game was huge for the Rebels who head to Gainesville this week for a SEC series with the Gators. One reason was to maintain momentum and the other was for Rebel skipper Mike Bianco. Today was his birthday. Happy birthday Coach Bianco.

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Of course, the Rebels and Ole Miss baseball fans all hoped to continue pounding the baseball in Star Wars fashion. Between Ole Miss pitching and a few pretty hot bats, the Rebels were able to gain the 5-3 win and sweep the UL-Monroe Warhawks. Lets take a look at the game through the numbers.

In The Box

Rebel bats were still on fire from ‘The Force’ of the night before. Eight Rebels batters would produce 5 runs on 11 hits in the game, while three had multiple hit games. Freshman Cole Zabowski led all Rebel hitters on the day. Zabowski (.268) went 2 for 3 in the box and knocked in 1 RBI. Junior Will Golsan (.303) also remained hot at the plate with a 2 for 4 day.

However, the highlight of the day was the continuance of the power swings and the long ball. Nick Fortes (.320) was good for his 3rd HR of the series. Fortes (.320) was 2 for 4 on the day with 1 RBI. Team captain and senior Colby Bortles actually got the Rebels on the board first with a 2 run shot in the bottom of the 6th. Bortles (.287) went 1 for 3 at the plate and those 2 runs batted in.

Also producing hits at the plate was freshman Bryan Seamster (.231) with a 1 for 3 day. Oxford native Grae Kessinger (.173) and DH Tim Rowe both went 1 for 4 in the game. Kyle Watson saw limited action in the line-up, however he went 1 for 1.

On The Mound

Senior right-hander Sean Johnson (1-0, 3.29) drew the start on the hill for game 2 of the midweek series. Johnson went 6.0 innings and was lights out. He allowed only 1 earned run on 1 hit wile walking 3 Warhawk batters. Johnson also rung up 6 Ks in his work on the mound. Johnson faced 1 batter in the 7th before Bianco made the call.

Brady Feigl (2-2, 4.04) entered the game in the 7th and allowed 1 earned run on 1 hit while chalking up 1 K to finish out the inning. Will Ethridge (1-2, 2.43) also saw duty going 1 inning of work on the hill. Ethridge allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits. Dallas Woolfolk (1-1, 1-15, 10)  finished out the game with 1 inning of his own effort. Woolfolk faced 4 Warhawk batters and only allowed 1 hit.

Gators Up Next

This Ole Miss baseball team can hit the ball and helped give their head coach a pretty good birthday present in the form of a midweek win and series sweep. However, the Rebels have to continue their power hitting at the plate against a great Florida Gators pitching staff tomorrow. Can they carry the same bats to Gainesville? Luckily, we don’t have to wait long.

The Rebels hit really well in the road series against Arkansas this past weekend, taking 2 of 3 and the SEC series from the Hogs. With two road series left on the SEC schedule, this could fair well for the streaking Rebels.

The Rebels face the Gators in Gainesville Friday in an away SEC series. First pitch will be at 5:30pm CT and will be televised on SECN+. Of course, the audio will be available thru the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.

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