Olstad: Rebels Complete the Sweep Over the Razorbacks

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The sweep is complete in Oxford, Mississippi. The Ole Miss Rebels defeat the Razorbacks of Arkansas 8-7 on a sunny afternoon.

Ole Miss’ Rebels finished their fourth SEC triple header this weekend 3-0, bouncing back from last weekend’s series in Starkville, where Ole Miss went 1-2 in three games against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Rebels now hold a 25-7 record and 6-6 in the SEC.

Ole Miss had no problem putting the bat on the ball early in the contest. After allowing Arkansas one hit in the top of the second inning, the Rebels responded with their best offensive inning of the ballgame. First Baseman Will Golsan doubled down the left field line, bringing in DH Michael Fitzsimmons and C Henri Lartigue for two runs, giving Ole Miss an early 2-0 lead.

The lead was doubled in the same inning when Ole Miss CF J.B. Woodman homered to right field, bringing in SS Errol Robinson to push the Ole Miss lead to 4-0.

It was smooth sailing for the Rebel infield until the fith inning began. Two walks and two errors, including a dropped pop-up by Ole Miss starting pitcher Wyatt Short, brought Arkansas within one, making the score 4-3 in the Rebels’ favor.

But every time Arkansas scored in the top of the inning, Ole Miss would respond in the bottom. In the bottom of the fifth, Ole Miss added two more runs. And when the Razorbacks scored their own pair of runs in the seventh, Ole Miss countered with two of their own, thanks to another clutch hit by Ole Miss First  Baseman Will Golsan with two runners on base.

Golsan recorded two hits and four RBIs with a batting average of .273 on four attempts at the plate. His hitting came when the Rebels were in the best positions to score, helping Ole Miss keep the lead the entire ballgame.

But the win wasn’t a guarantee when Arkansas SS Michael Bernal hit a two-run homer in the top of the 9th inning, cutting the Ole Miss lead to one run. After the home run, Ole Miss made a pitching change and brought in closer Will Stokes. His 95 mph fastballs gave him his fourth save of the year and secured the Rebels’ first SEC sweep of the season.

Ole Miss plays their next game against Southern Miss Wednesday, April 13, at Swayze Field starting at 6:30 p.m. CT. Southern Miss has an almost identical record to Ole Miss of 25-8 and 11-1 in their USA Conference. The Rebels look to improve their pitching, limit errors, and keep their offense in the same groove they had for their weekend sweep against Arkansas.

Jack Olstad is a HottyToddy.com intern. He can be reached at jtolstad@go.olemiss.edu.

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