Rebels win fourth-straight with win over Southern Miss

OXFORD, Ms.- No. 4 Ole Miss jumped out to a big lead early, but 22nd-ranked Southern Miss closed the gap before the Rebels won 11-5 in midweek baseball.

Ole Miss is now 11-2 on the season after the victory at Oxford-University Stadium / Swayze Field, while the Golden Eagles are 8-4. The two teams will meet again on March 28 at the Pearl.

The Rebels led 8-1 through five innings Tuesday night before USM rallied to cut the lead to 8-5. But Ole Miss extended the lead back to six to win.

After Southern Miss scored a run in the top of the first inning, Kemp Alderman’s blast to deep center with one out appeared to work out to give Ole Miss the lead. But it was caught just shy of a home run, and after one stay 1-0 Golden Eagles.

In the second USM, the bases were loaded with two outs when Tate Parker grounded to Jacob Gonzalez to end the frame with no runs.

In the Rebel second, Ole Miss added a home run to right by Anthony Calarco to tie the game at 1-1. With one out in the second, Peyton Chatagnier hit a single to left and scored Swayze for a 2-1 Ole Miss lead. Here’s the situation after the two ends.

After a topless top of the third for USM, the Rebels added a run on a bases loaded balk by relief pitcher Tyler Martin. It was 3-1 Ole Miss heading into the fourth.

After Rebel starter JT Quinn homered off the Golden Eagles in the top of the fourth, Ole Miss added four runs for a 7-1 advantage. Ethan Lege singled to score Chatagnier, who reached on a groundout. Gonzalez singled, then Ethan Groff doubled to score one run and Calvin Harris singled for two more runs.

In the fifth, Ole Miss scored again, this time on TJ McCants’ homer over the right field wall for an 8-1 lead. But USM is going to make it a game in six.

The Golden Eagles had put up four runs in the inning, and the bases were loaded with one out when Jackson Kimbrell replaced Mitch Murrell on the mound. But Golden Eagle Slade Wilks would be the only hit Kimbrell faced in the inning as Wilks hit the ball right back to Kimbrell who then threw home for the out. Calvin Harris completed an inning-ending double play by throwing to first for the third out.

With a lead that just a few minutes earlier had been seven runs but now down to three, the Rebels went back to work on offense. Ole Miss had three hits with the final one being an RBI single for Calarco that scored Harris who had also reached on a single. It was 9-5 Rebels after six innings.

After a leadoff walk by Carson Paetow in the top of the seventh, Kimbrell was replaced on the mound by Sam Tookoian. The Golden Eagles were scoreless in the inning.

Ole Miss added two runs in the seventh to take an 11-5 lead. Gonzalez singled to left to score Chatagnier, who had reached on a base hit. Riley Maddox, pinch running for Will Furniss who had walked, scored from third as Groff fouled out to right field, allowing the runner to score.

Rebel starter Quinn got the win to stay perfect at 3-0. USM starter Colby Allen (0-1) was charged with the loss.

The Rebels continue non-conference action this weekend at home with a three-game series against Purdue, the fourth Big Ten team Ole Miss has faced in 2023. The Rebels are 3-1 against Maryland and 1-0 against Minnesota and Nebraska.