Diamond Rebels Use Long Ball Game to Defeat Jacksonville State

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

Thomas Dillard after his home run. Photo by Josh McCoy / Ole Miss Sports.

The No. 12 national seed Ole Miss Rebels rolled past the No. 4 seed Jacksonville State 16-2 in their opening game of the Oxford Regional.

Ole Miss (38-25) had three different players hit home runs and two, five-run innings to put them in the winner’s bracket. 

Jacksonville State (37-22) had a leadoff double off the bat of Tre Kirklin and back-to-back groundouts to plate the first run of the game.

The Rebels quickly responded in the bottom of the frame as Thomas Dillard and Grae Kessinger followed on a walk by Tyler Keenan. The Rebels plated their first run on an RBI single by Cole Zabowski that brought home Dillard. Kessinger came home on a sac fly off the bat of Ryan Olenek.

In the third, Ole Miss tacked on two more runs on a two-run shot to the student section in right field off the bat of Keenan that scored Kessinger.

“I felt great and hit the ball through the zone,” Keenan said.

Right Fielder Anthony Servideo drew a walk to open the fourth, got to second on a balk, stole third and came home on a fielder’s choice ground ball to the first baseman off the bat of Jacob Adams.

The Rebels scored five runs in the fifth inning capped off by a two-run home run by Servideo.

Jacksonville State hurler Garrett Farmer worked 4.2 innings giving up 10 runs (5 earned) on eight hits on the night. Farmer sat down six Rebels on strikeouts and allowed four free passes in the game.

The Gamecocks brought in left-hander Tyler Wilburn in the fifth and surrendered five runs on five hits through innings logged. In the eighth, Michael Gilliland entered.

Ole Miss’ ace Will Ethridge was electric on the mound after a leadoff double to open the game. He quickly settled in and kept JSU off the base path. Ethridge worked seven complete innings and only allowed three hits on two runs and struck out three batters to pick up the win.

“Will (Ethridge) was terrific,” head coach Mike Bianco said. “He filled up the zone and was able to keep Jacksonville off balance and did not give up a walk.”

In the seventh, Jacksonville State scratched another run across.

Ole Miss responded with five more runs in the home half of the seventh. Thomas Dillard sent a ball into the student section for a two-run bomb. It was his first home run since the Rebels were at LSU on May 4.

In the eighth, Bianco called on the arm of Taylor Broadway to close the game out for the Rebels. He did not allow a run in two innings of work.

Ole Miss will take on the No. 3 seed Clemson Tigers at 6 p.m. in the winner’s bracket. The Tigers defeated the No. 2 seed Illinois 8-4. Jacksonville State will play Illinois at noon.