Rebels Complete the Sweep Over Mizzou

The Rebels complete the three game sweep of the Missouri Tigers with a 8-3 win. This is the first SEC sweep for Ole Miss since April of last year when they swept Alabama and Tennessee in back-to-back weekends.
No. 14 Ole Miss (21-4, 4-2 SEC) scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Rebels sent 11 batters to the plate to break the game open.
Coach Mike Bianco talked about what it means for the Rebels to pick up a sweep this early in the season.
“This sweep makes up for letting a game get a way last weekend,” Bianco said. “I told the time we would have to win a series down the road to make up for the one we should have had. The team played well and earned the sweep.”
Missouri’s left fielder, Eric Anderson led the first inning off with a double to left, followed by a sac bunt and a ground ball to second base which brought him home to score.
Ole Miss starter, junior Sam Smith settled in after the first inning and did not allow a run to come into score until the fifth inning.
In the first two games of the series, the Rebels scored runs during each of the game’s first innings. On Sunday, it took Ole Miss until the fourth inning to scratch a run on the board against Missouri’s starter, Brett Graves.
Graves came into the game with a 1.30 ERA in 34.2 innings pitched. He only gave up six runs on 21 hits, while he struck out 27 batters and only walked five.
Ole Miss junior, Auston Bousfield, led off the home half fourth with a single to right field. A throwing error on the pitcher Graves advanced him to second base, then Braxton Lee got aboard on a fielder’s choice bunt back to the pitcher. Graves threw out Bousfield at third base. Austin Anderson grounded out to the second baseman as Lee moved up to second on the play. Will Allen then drove the ball through the four hole which brought Lee into score for a RBI single.
Allen picked up his 32nd RBI on the campaign this season.
The Tigers got the bats going again in the top of the fifth as Logan Pearson led off the inning with a single to right field. Then Keaton Steele doubled to left field and Pearson crossed the plate on an fielding error on Lee, out in left field.
Errol Robinson led of the sixth inning for the Rebels by singling to right field. Bousfield then flew out and Lee grounded into an inning ending double play.
Smith worked into the seventh inning of the game and gave up three runs on five hits. He struck out a Tiger and allowed one batter on board by way of a walk.
Coach Mike Bianco called on the arm of Matt Denny, Hawtin Buchanan and Wyatt Short. They all came into pitch in relief of Smith.
Missouri tacked on an additional run in the top of the seventh with a sacrifice fly.
Anderson led off the Rebels’ seventh inning, with a single up the middle to the second baseman. Allen got aboard by the way of a walk. Graves then balked which advanced the base runners ninety feet. Holt Perdzock got a RBI sacrifice fly to left field that plated Anderson for Ole Miss’ second run.
Short (3-0) entered the game in the eighth, with one out and the bases loaded and got a guy to strike out and a ground out to end the Tiger’s frame.
When Ole Miss came up to bat in the inning, Will Jamison led the inning with a single. Cameron Dishon came in to pinch run and two batters later Dishon scored on Bousfield’s infield RBI single. Anderson pushed the Rebels ahead with a RBI single to right scoring Bousfield. Then Sikes Orvis singled to right which plated Lee. Dulin brought in two more runs in the inning. Orvis scored on a bunt off the bat of Dishon.
The Rebels return to action on Tuesday as they face Southern Mississippi in Pearl, Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30p.m.
–Adam Brown, Sports Editor of HottyToddy.com