Fall Ball Recap: Bortles’ Big Weekend

Photo courtesy of Joshua McCoy / Ole Miss

Only one of two seniors on the team, Colby Bortles led the way throughout the fifth weekend of intrasquad scrimmages for the Ole Miss baseball team. The Rebel slugger hit .636 at the plate with four RBI, three runs and a pair of home runs over three scrimmages at Swayze Field.

The Rebels started the weekend early with a full intrasquad Thursday afternoon, and Bortles made sure he brought his bat to the ballpark. The Oviedo, Florida, native went 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI, but it wasn’t enough as Red fell to Blue, 7-4. Five Rebels recorded multi-hit games for Blue, leading to 14 hits for the team. The top three hitters in the order (Ryan Olenek, Grae Kessinger and Tate Blackman) hit .500 with two hits apiece, and Blackman added a team-high three RBI. Redshirt-freshman Carson Klepzig also produced at the bottom of the lineup, going 2-for-4 and scoring a pair of runs.

Behind the two arms of sophomore James McArthur and freshman Ryan Rolison, Blue cruised to a 6-1 victory Saturday afternoon. McArthur got the start, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings and striking out three. Following up his teammate’s performance, Rolison put together his best outing of the fall. The high school All-Amercian allowed one unearned run on two hits and recorded five strikeouts over 4.0 complete frames. At the dish, Michael Fitzsimmons and Bryan Seamster homered, while sophomore Kyle Watson legged out a two-run triple.

Sunday afternoon’s scrimmage started as a pitcher’s duel as Greer Holston and Houston Roth each tossed a pair of 1-2-3 innings. However, the pitching perfection ended in the third when Tim Rowe sent a solo blast over the right field fence, sparking a four-run inning to lead Red to a 6-3 win. Holston and Brady Schanuel combined for five scoreless innings, tossing 3.0 and 2.0 frames, respectively. Red finished with four doubles, including one from sophomore Ryan Olenek as part of a 2-for-3 afternoon.

In Blue’s Sunday setback, Bortles finished his impressive weekend with a multi-hit day that included a double. Through three intrasquad contests, the third baseman went 7-for-11. Watson also added his second triple in as many games.

Ole Miss Baseball returns to the diamond for two more intrasquad scrimmages this week at Swayze Field (Oct. 21-22). Friday’s Red-Blue matchup is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start, while Saturday’s contest will have a 12 p.m. first pitch. All intrasquad scrimmages are free and open to the public.

For instant updates on Ole Miss Baseball intrasquads, follow the Rebels on Twitter at@OleMissBSB and Snapchat at OleMissBSB. Also don’t forget to follow the Rebs on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball on Instagram at olemissbsb.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports