No. 4 Ole Miss Defeats UCA

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

No.4 Ole Miss used the long ball in a 5-2 win over the Central Arkansas Bears on Tuesday night.

Ole Miss (17-4) belted home runs out of Swayze off the barrels of Jacob Gonzalez (3), Tim Elko (8) and Hayden Dunhurst (3).

The Rebels trailed by one run coming up to the plate in the first as Justin Bench delivered a base knock up the box followed by a two-run shot hammered to center field to the batters eye by Gonzalez.

Ole Miss’ starter Josh Mallitz (2-1)surrendered a run on three hits while retiring three Bears by strikeouts in three innings of work.

“Proud of Mallitz on n how he handled it after coming out of the pen on Sunday,” Coach Mike Bianco said.

In the fourth, Ole Miss used the long ball again in back-to-back at bats by Elko and Dunhurst who each sent the ball out in the right field towards the students. Elko’s eight home runs are ranked second in the SEC behind South Carolina’s Wes Clarke (10).

Bianco brought in Braden Forsyth (2.0), Jackson Kimbrell (0.2), M Murrell (1.1) and Austin Miller (1.0) in the game to face Central Arkansas.

Ole Miss added a run to the scoreboard in the fifth after Bench delivered a base hit was brought home by Kevin Graham’s RBI single.

Bench led the Rebels at the plate going 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. He reached second base four times on the night. The walk was the first allowed by UCA.

Central Arkansas brought in its second run in the sixth.

Taylor Broadway came into close the door on the Bears in the ninth as he picked up his fourth save of the season.

The Rebels pitching staff struck out 10 sluggers on the night.

Ole Miss returns to conference action on Thursday as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in a three-game series.