No. 9 Ole Miss Remains Undefeated, Sweeps Green Wave

Thomas Dillard Photo by Steven Gagliano

The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebel Baseball team completed a three-game sweep over the Tulane Green Wave on Sunday by the score of 6-3.

“Just proud,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “That’s a better team this week, and I thought it was a bigger test, especially offensively. They really tested our pitchers and at times, we had to make pitches in big innings to get off the field, and we were able to do that. Offensively, we still showed that we could put an inning together, and that’s big as you’re not going to hit every day.”
Ole Miss (7-0) fell behind early in the game with RHP James McAuthur on the mound as Tulane’s Jonathon Artigues hit a single to right field. He then advanced to second base on a balk by McAuthur. Two batters later, Artigues was driven in on a groundout from the bat of Ty Johnson.
McAuthur then settled in and held the Green Wave bats at bay for the next three frames.
The Rebel hitters had trouble against Keagan Gillies, Tulane’s starter through the first three frames. Then in the bottom of the fourth, the offensive firepower came to life as Thomas Dillard got Ole Miss on the board with a solo shot to right field.
“Today, their pitcher struggled his whole career to throw the ball in the strike zone. He then puts it in, and it’s one of those days,” Bianco said.
In the fifth, Tulane scratched another run across off the arm of McAuthur to come back on top.
McAuthur gave up two runs off of six hits and struck out three Tulane batters in 5.1 innings of work.
In the sixth inning, the Rebels scored five runs, all started by Grae Kessinger’s single. Ryan Olenek followed with a fielder’s choice bunt back to the pitcher. Everyone was safe on a throwing error by Gillies. Nick Fortes reached on a fielder’s choice that got Olenek out at second base. Dillard loaded the bases on a walk. Will Golsan plated two runs with a single to left. The Rebels’ catcher, Cooper Johnson, came to the plate with one out and cleared the bases with a three-run shot to left field.
“We really needed that (big inning). We had two opportunities earlier in the game and we didn’t move them over,” Bianco said. “At one point, we didn’t move them over from second and swung through a hit and run. We didn’t have many base runners, and you execute. You don’t give yourself an opportunity to get that big hit and leave the guy stranded. Ryan (Olenek) gets the bunt down and really you could tell – when you are a good club – that they can feel the pressure, and that’s one of the beauties of being at home in front of a great crowd.”
Jordan Fowler came into the game to replace McAuthur giving up one hit in an inning of work and picked up the win. Bianco then brought in Greer Holston to finish the seventh. Will Stokes came in from the pin in the eighth giving up the only other run on two hits. Dallas Woolfolk made his second appearance of the weekend in the ninth and closed the door securing his fourth save of the season.

Game Two Wrap-Up

Ole Miss’ starter Brady Feigl kept Tulane’s offense at bay by only allowing one run in the first inning. Feigl struck out three batters in the frame, but the run came in on a dropped third strike. 
In his first at-bat, Rebels’ Grae Kessinger hit a home run, knotting the game at one run apiece.
Ole Miss managed to find the edge they were looking for in the fourth inning as Nick Fortes led off the frame with a double. He then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Will Golsan.
An inning later, the Rebels added two runs to their tally after a pair of doubles from Chase Cockrell and Kessinger. Kessinger’s double scored Cockrell, and Olenek hit a sacrifice fly to score Kessinger.
Ole Miss’ firepower continued in the sixth inning scoring five runs while facing four different Green Wave hurlers in the frame.
Feigl finished his day after working five innings on the hill with six strikeouts on two hits. Tulane was not able to scratch another run across in the game.

Game One Wrap-Up

Ole Miss and Tulane got into a back-and-forth affair before the Rebels were able to lock down a 5-4 victory. 
Ryan Rolison delivered another stellar performance on the mound Friday night after giving up a solo home run in the first. The southpaw settled in and worked 5.0 innings, striking out nine and only giving up three hits and allowing two walks. 
The Green Wave’s lead was short-lived as the Rebels plated two runs in the home half of the frame. Olenek got on base by a hit-by-pitch delivered by Nick Fortes. Olenek came into score on a throwing error by the catcher as Fortes stole second. Thomas Dillard plated Olenek on an RBI groundout. 
Weather delayed the game in the bottom of the fifth until Saturday. As action picked back up, Ole Miss’ offensive firepower arrived in the seventh inning in back-to-back home runs off the bats of Cole Zabowski and Cooper Johnson. The Rebels built a 5-1 cushion over Tulane. 
The Green Wave didn’t go away quietly as they scored three runs off of Ole Miss relievers in the eighth. 
Closer Dallas Woolfolk came into the game in the ninth and closed the door on the Green Wave’s chances of coming back. 
The Rebels return to the diamond Tuesday afternoon as they play host to Murray State. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.