Rebels take game one from Vandy
Published 11:59 pm Friday, April 13, 2018
NASHVILLE — Ole Miss, for the moment, is right back on track in the Southeastern Conference.
The Rebels, who lost their first series of the season last weekend, pounded Vanderbilt for 14 hits and scored in double figures for the second game in a row as they hammered Vanderbilt 11-3 in the series opener Friday night.
Will Golsan homered for Ole Miss (29-6, 8-5 SEC), and Ryan Olenek went 4-for-5 with four runs scored. Nick Fortes was 3-for-5 with a double, triple and three RBIs.
The Rebels jumped ahead with three runs in the third inning and didn’t look back, distancing themselves from the Commodores (20-14, 7-6) in the late innings with seven runs in the final four frames.
The Rebels went ahead for good with three runs in the top of the third inning against Vanderbilt starter Drake Fellows on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. Olenek walked to start the inning and Thomas Dillard singled him home from second with one out to tie the game at 2.
After Fellows walked Cole Zabowski, Golsan singled to left field to bring Dillard in and give Ole Miss a 3-2 lead. Tyler Keenan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Chase Cockrell slapped a sacrifice fly to right-center field to give the Rebels a 4-2 cushion.
Auburn 2, Mississippi State 1
Auburn’s Casey Mize had nine strikeouts in a complete-game victory, as Auburn (24-11, 5-8 SEC) took the series opener from Mississippi State (18-17, 4-9).
Mize threw his second complete game of the season. He didn’t walk a batter and allowed five hits.
Mississippi State’s Konnor Pilkington allowed two runs on four hits over 7 2/3 innings, but took the loss.
Brendan Venter hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Will Holland had an RBI single in the third to account for Auburn’s runs.
Tanner Allen drove in Mississippi State’s only run with an RBI triple in the sixth inning.