Rebel hopes fall short
Published 12:00 am Sunday, May 22, 2011
Ole Miss needed just one win in a doubleheader Saturday over Arkansas to book a trip to Hoover, Ala. and the SEC Tournament.
Two losses would put its postseason fate into the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The Rebels (30-25, 13-17 SEC), thanks to a 5-3 defeat in the second game and a 2-0 loss in the first contest, will just have to wait and watch as the Razorbacks (36-18, 15-15 SEC) clinched a SEC Tournament berth.
Ole Miss fell to No. 18 Arkansas in both games by two runs.
“Our offense had a few chances today and we couldn’t get the big hit,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “Both games, Arkansas made the critical plays. Both games were nail biters, they just executed more times than we did.”
Bobby Wahl (0-2) took the loss in relief for the Rebels in the second game of the afternoon. allowing two runs on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts in 12⁄3 innings of work.
Barrett Astin (5-1) picked up the relief win for the Razorbacks in game two. He worked four scoreless innings and allowed two hits with three walks and struck out three batters. Astin grabbed the save in game one. D.J. Baxendale picked up his third save of the season as he worked the final inning with a walk. But he held the Rebels scoreless and hitless after starting and taking the loss on Thursday in the series opener.
Ole Miss got off to a quick start in the second game of the doubleheader, loaded the bases with one out before Matt Tracy singled to left to bring a run home. A squeeze bunt from Hamblin in the next at bat led to a fielding error as a second run came home in the inning and kept the bases loaded with the Rebels up 2-0 before the Razorbacks could get out of the inning.
Matt Snyder took the lead out to 3-0 for the Rebels in the third inning with a solo home run — his ninth of the season — with one out in the frame.
Colin Kuhn then cut the lead to one in the bottom of the inning with a two-run shot to left with two-outs to pull Arkansas to 3-2 of the Rebels.
The Razorbacks tied things up in the sixth, using a balk call to put two men in scoring position with one out before a squeeze bunt pushed a run home and left men at the corners with the game knotted at three. A single to right pushed the go-ahead run home and a throwing error to home allowed both trailing base runners to move into scoring position
A sacrifice fly to center field from Kuhn drove in a third run in the inning and Arkansas moved out to a 5-3 lead on the Rebels.
Ole Miss threatened in the seventh, getting a man to third, but a play at the plate on a wild pitch that saw Jordan King attempt to score and a groundout ended the Rebel rally and the series with the 5-3 Razorback win.
Arkansas 2, Ole Miss 0
The Razorbacks scored early in game one and added a second run late on the way to a win in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
David Goforth (4-8) suffered the loss. He allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts in six innings of work, turning in a complete-game for the Rebels in the shortened day of action.
Randall Fant (3-3) snagged the win for the Razorbacks in the first game, working 61⁄3 innings and holding the Rebels scoreless through 61⁄3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts.