Ole Miss Falls to Vanderbilt in SEC Championship

Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Photo by Adam Brown.

The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team dropped a barnburner to the No. 1 Vanderbilt Commodores 11-10 in the SEC Baseball Championship on Sunday.

The Rebels and Commodores got into a high scoring contest through nine innings at the Hoover Met.

Ole Miss (38-25) got off to a fast start as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs. Grae Kessinger and Tyler Keenan got aboard on walks. Cole Zabowski then drove in Kessinger on an RBI single. Ryan Olenek delivered a ball to third and got on base on an error that plated Keenan. Cooper Johnson singled to score the third run of the game.

Anthony Servideo and Jacob Adams got on board by a walk that brought home the fourth run. Thomas Dillard slapped a single to left that scratched the final two runs of the frame home.

Vanderbilt’s hurler Patrick Ragby worked .2 of a frame before the Rebels got into the bullpen.

The Rebels continued in the second as Kessinger doubled to left and came into score on a double steal that confused the pitcher and catcher.

Vanderbilt found a way to score a run in the second on back-to-back base knocks by Harrison Ray and Duvall.

Ole Miss did not wait long to respond to the Commodores run in the second as the Rebels loaded the bases in the third. Kessinger then drove the ball to left for a two RBI single.

Ole Miss’ starter Zach Phillips was strong through three innings on the bump, surrendering three runs on six hits.

The Commodores garnered two runs in the third.

Coach Mike Bianco brought Tyler Myers in to pitch. Myers allowed five runs. Vanderbilt got back into the game in the fourth as they brought in five runs that was all capped off by a three run home run by Pat DeMarco.

After Vandy’s three run shot the Rebels brought in Jordan Fowler to close the door on the Commodores rally.

In the fifth the Rebels got a leadoff double via Johnson who came into score on a hit by Servideo. Will Etheridge entered in the fifth and worked until the end of the sixth as the Commodores scored two runs.

Vanderbilt scratched a run across apiece in the fifth and sixth to tie the game.

Austin Miller worked out of a jam in the seventh as Vandy had runners on the corners with two outs and got a strikeout to end the inning.

The Commodores loaded the bases in the ninth and drove in the winning run.