Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
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Tracking down balls in the outfield gaps and knocking in three runs at the plate, All-SEC outfielder J.B. Woodman led No. 10 Ole Miss to a 5-1 victory over Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament Tuesday afternoon. Woodman hit a two-run, added an RBI double and made a season-high seven catches in center field to help the Rebels (41-16) advance to the double elimination portion of the tournament.
Woodman went 2-for-3 with three RBI for his team-leading 23rd multi-hit and 14th multi-RBI game of the year. Colby Bortles added a big two-run double, his 18th of the season, as part of a four-run fourth inning. Tate Blackman increased his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games, while Will Golsan and Ryan Olenek contributed singles as well.
Working on a pitch count around 60, Rebel ace Brady Bramlett (8-3) allowed just one run on three hits in four innings to collect the win. He faced the minimum over his final three innings of work before nearing his pitch limit. Redshirt-freshman Brady Feigl tossed 3.0 innings without allowing a run before the dynamic duo of Will Stokes and Wyatt Short finished the game with one scoreless inning apiece.
Heath Holder (4-5) suffered the loss for Georgia (27-30). After limiting the Rebels to one run in 7.0 frames earlier this season (May 8), Ole Miss recorded four runs off the UGA starter in 3.2 innings today. At the plate, the Bulldogs tallied seven hits, including two by designated hitter Daniel Nichols.
After Bramlett retired the first two batters of the game, Stephen Wrenn homered to left field to give UGA the first run of the game. Georgia loaded the bases to try and keep the two-out rally going; however, Bramlett settled down to get out of the jam and leave three Bulldogs on base.
The Rebels batted around in the fourth, sending 10 hitters to the plate. With the help of two extra-base hits, Ole Miss scored four runs in the big inning to take control of the game. Golsan drew a one-out walk before Blackman’s blooper to center put two runners on base for Woodman. Hitting over .400 with runners in scoring position throughout the regular season, the junior center fielder came through in the clutch once again with a triple to right field that scored a pair of Rebels. Henri Lartigue reached base after being hit by a pitch, and the Ole Miss catcher stole his first base of the season to get into scoring position. A Bortles double brought both Woodman and Lartigue across the plate to give Ole Miss a 4-1 lead.
One inning later, Woodman recorded this third RBI of the game with an opposite-field double to left-center. Golsan motored around to score his second run of the contest, increasing the Rebels’ advantage to four runs, 5-1.
Feigl made sure the Rebels held their lead, tossing three scoreless innings with the help of three strikeouts. In the final two innings of play, Stokes and Short kept Georgia off the scoreboard as the Ole Miss bullpen closed out the 5-1 first round win.
With the victory, Ole Miss advances to the double elimination portion of the SEC Tournament. The No. 7 Rebels will face No. 2 seed South Carolina tomorrow (May 25) at approximately 1 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The game will officially begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the day’s first game, which is set for 9:30 a.m.
QUICK HITS
- J.B. Woodman hit a two-run triple for his first three-base hit of the season.
- Woodman went 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position to knock in three runs; he’s hitting .426 (26-for-61) with runners in scoring position this season.
- Woodman’s seven putouts in center field tie the most by an Ole Miss outfielder this season (Ryan Olenek, April 9 vs. Arkansas).
- Colby Bortles hit his team-leading 18th double of the year, which ranks 3rd in the SEC.
- Catcher Henri Lartigue stole the first two bases of his career.
- Tate Blackman increased his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games.
Article courtesy Ole Miss Sports. For questions or comments, email adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.
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