By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
No. 4 Ole Miss baseball closed out the opening weekend of the 2023 season with a sweep over the Delaware Blue Hens. On Sunday, the Rebels defeated the Blue Hens by the score of 14-4 (7).
Ole Miss (3-0) had another new face on the mound in left-hander Xavier Rivas who transferred in from the University of Indianapolis. Rivas continued the dominant Rebel pitching on the weekend as he kept the Blue Hens off the scoreboard for four frames.
The Rebels’ offense opened the game in the second with a seven-run frame. The inning was highlighted by two home runs off the bats of Jacob Gonzalez, Kemp Alderman and a double by Calvin Harris. Gonzalez’s home run was a grand slam.
All eight runs in the first two frames came off Delaware’s starter Chris Grome. Grome worked two complete frames and surrendered eight runs on seven hits with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Alderman finished the day going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI.
Delaware got on the scoreboard in the fifth after a one-out walk came in on a base knock by Dan Covino.
Rivas’s first start came to an end in the fifth after allowing back-to-back walks to Delaware. Rivas tossed 4.1 innings allowing a run on a hit with four walks and struck out eight Blue Hens to pick up the win.
Bianco made the call to the bullpen for right-hander Tommy Henninger who worked an inning with two runs on a hit with a strikeout and two walks.
In the home half of the fifth Peyton Chatagnier smashed his second home run of the season that made it 10-1 Ole Miss.
The Rebels’ offense has hit a total of eight home runs through the series of the season.
Ole Miss made a pitching change in the sixth as Jordan Vera entered and closed the game out in the last 1.2 frames and surrendered a run on two hits with a walk while retiring four by way of strikeout.
Delaware plated three runs in the sixth after three walks a single and a double that cut the Rebels’ advantage 10-4.
Ole Miss answered in the bottom of the frame after a leadoff triple by Harris. Harris scored on a base hit by Ethan Lege. Later in the inning, Gonzalez delivered a bases-clearing double that gave the Rebels a 14-4 advantage.
Gonzalez went 2-for-4 at the plate with a grand slam, double and a new career-high seven RBI.
Ole Miss returns to the diamond of Swayze on Tuesday as they welcome Arkansas State. The first pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. and can be streamed on the SEC Network+.
