Ole Miss Defeats Mizzou in First Round of SEC Tournament

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Ryan Olenek waits on a pitch. Photo by Steven Gagliano.

The Ole Miss Rebels move into the double-elimination portion of the SEC Baseball Tournament after a victory over the Missouri Tigers on Tuesday afternoon 2-1.

Ole Miss (34-24) battled back from an early one-run deficit in the second inning as the Tigers struck first with back-to-back doubles by Thomas Broyles and Austin James. They plated the game’s first run with two outs in the top of the second.

The Rebels found key hits in the bottom of the fifth as they scratched across two runs in the frame. Jacob Adams led with a double, stole third and came home on a double by Thomas Dillard. Grae Kessinger bunted Dillard to third and scored on a base knock back up the middle off the bat of Cole Zabowski.

The Rebels’ hurler Will Ethridge worked seven complete innings and only allowed a run on seven hits. The junior struck out six sluggers and gave up no walks. Ethridge had a pair of 1-2-3 innings that kept the Tigers from adding to their total.

Missouri’s starter Konnor Ash kept Ole Miss’ offense at bay by not allowing a run in four innings of work. He gave up three hits, three strikeouts and allowed three men to reach on a free pass.

The offensive eventually reached some hits against Jacob Cantleberry, the Tigers’ left-hander, in the fifth. Senior Rebel Ryan Olenek came in the ninth to shut the door on Missouri’s chances of coming back in their final at-bat.

Ole Miss returns to action on Wednesday as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 1 p.m. on SEC Network.