Rebs Defeat Arkansas Pine Bluff

Brady Bramlett drew the start and pitched like his Ole Miss coaches wanted him to in the midweek. The freshman right-hander looked like a veteran in the Rebels’ 7-2 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Wednesday.

By: Jeff Roberson, OMSpirit.com

Photo by Peyton Spear

“Brady Bramlett was terrific in his first college start,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “That’s how you draw it up. Go out and pitch five innings with no walks and strike out seven.”

Bianco said it appeared it was all working for the Arlington High School (Tennessee) product.

“He really located his fast ball and slider. With a lot of right-handed hitters, he really kept them at bay,” Bianco said.

Bramlett, whose final line was no runs on two hits with seven strikeouts and a hit batter, said he knew on Tuesday he would start Wednesday.

“I was a little nervous,” said the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder. “Once I got out there I felt confident, just knowing the defense I had behind me.”

Bramlett, the winning pitcher, seemed to get stronger as the game went on, and he said that was indeed the case.

“I felt good throughout and good at the end,” he said. “I feel like the further I go, the stronger I get.”

Bianco said Bramlett went as long as they wanted him to, and he was pitching well when he left the game after five innings.

“He was fine and he just hadn’t thrown that many pitches since the last intrasquad game. So we didn’t want to push him too far to where he’s not able to pitch this weekend and comes down with a sore arm. He was terrific.”

It was a big third inning that proved enough for the Rebels as they scored four runs. An Austin Anderson triple scored Tanner Mathis who had singled. Auston Bousfield singled to score Anderson. Stuart Turner homered for the final two runs of the inning.

Austin Blount, Scott Ashford, and Aaron Greenwood also saw mound time for Ole Miss.

“Proud of the way we bounced back after a miserable game last night,” Bianco said. “The guys really responded.”

The Rebels, now 8-1, travel to Miami this weekend for three games against Florida International.