No. 3 Ole Miss Evens Series with Florida

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

No. 3 Ole Miss knotted the series with the No. 15 Florida Gators on Friday night  with an 8-2 win behind strong pitching and hot bats for the Rebels.

Ole Miss (21-5, 7-1 SEC) jumped on Gators starter Christian Scott to open the game and took a lead in the game as Kevin Graham pushed his hitting streak to 10 games. Tim Elko delivered a base knock that brought Graham home.

The Rebels starter Doug Nikhazy was electric on the hill against Florida as he kept them guessing at the dish.

In the second, Hayden Leatherwood smashed a one-out double and came home on a base rip by Calvin Harris for a 2-0 UM lead.

Florida got back-to-back leadoff walks in the first and second, the latter coming in to score for the Gators’ first run of the night off of Nikhazy.

Nikhazy worked 6.0 innings complete with 11 strikeouts, a new career-high against SEC opponents, allowed one run on two hits with three walks. 

In the seventh, Florida tied the game on a solo shot by Jud Fabian off the Ole Miss hurler Drew McDaniel. McDaniel (4-0) worked an inning, surrendering a run on a hit and striking out two Gators to eventually pick up the win. 

Ole Miss quickly responded with a two-run bomb off the bat of Jacob Gonzalez that brought home TJ McCants from third. McCants led the frame off with a base knock then stole second and got to third on a wild pitch. That made it 4-2 Rebels.

Ole Miss Coach Mike Bianco called on the arm of Taylor Broadway (seven saves) in the eighth to shut the door on the Gators. Broadway worked two shutout innings by not allowing a hit, run, or a walk and struck out five. 

The Rebels extended their lead in the ninth by four more runs as Peyton Chatagnier drove in Cade Sammons and Justin Bench on a base rip. Gonzalez followed with a two-RBI base knock down the first baseline that brought home McCants and Chatagnier.

Gonzalez finished the game going 3-for-5 with one run and four RBI.

Against the Gators, Ole Miss had four extra-base hits and the pitching staff retired 18 sluggers by strikeouts. Florida only had three hits on the evening.

The rubber match of the series between Ole Miss and Florida is Saturday at Noon CT on SEC Network+.