Baseball: #2 Ole Miss vs. Indiana State

[Cianne]

It's the second weekend of the series for the Rebels and it is raining here on Oxford on Friday. All three starting pitchers will take to the mound looking to maintain their 0.00 ERAs while the Rebel hitters will try to continue their hot streak of five games in a row with 10 or more runs. The Sycamore starting pitchers look to be pretty good judging by their ERA and IPs against South Florida but the bullpen blew it for them.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday
ISU: Michael Manus LHP 6-4 250, 0-0, 1.69
UM: Lance Lynn RHP 6-5 260, 1-0, 0.00

Saturday
ISU: Brian Oliver RHP 6-1 225, 0-0, 0.00
UM: Cody Satterwhite RHP 6-4 205, 1-0, 0.00

Sunday
ISU: Micah Spencer RHP 6-3 185, 0-0, 3.00
UM: Nathan Baker LHP 6-3 205, 1-0. 0.00

[NiKka]

damn our hurlers got some size.. never really paid much attention
6'5 260 dang

[Cianne]

Was a tough game for the Rebels Friday night battling not only the Sycamores but the harsh elements. Lance Lynn struggled a bit early on the mound but rebounds for six solid innings after the first frame striking out nine batters on the night. Cody Overbeck and Logan Power continue to bring the big bats hitting their 4th and 3rd HRs respectively. Zach Miller extended his hitting streak to what I believe is seventeen games going back to last season. The game was actually postponded in the 8th inning on account of fog.

http://www.nmnathletics.com.edgesuite.net/pics15/400/ZU/ZUXGOGURCSHGKJZ.20080301034223.jpg

But nevertheless, the Rebels move on to 6-0 on the season.

Friday

Ole Miss 6
ISU 4

http://www.olemisssports.com/pdf1/113576.pdf?ATCLID=1401329&SPID=748&DB_OEM_ID=2600&SPSID=13045

OXFORD, Miss. – It was a unique night for baseball that even saw a delay due to fog, but the Rebels got a big inning when it needed it as No. 2 Ole Miss (6-0) used a pair of home runs to push past Indiana State (1-3) by a score of 6-4 on Friday.

Zach Miller set the pace for the Rebel offense with a 2-for-2 night that also included two walks, two runs scored and an RBI. But the long ball put the Rebels in control of the night as Cody Overbeck and Logan Power both hit two-run home runs in the fifth inning and the Rebel pitchers closed things out from there.

Lance Lynn (2-0) picked up his second win of the season as he worked 7.0 innings, allowing four runs – two earned – on seven hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Justin Cryer picked up his first save of the season as he closed out the ninth with two walks and two strikeouts while allowing no hits.

Michael Manus (0-1) suffered the loss for the Sycamores as he worked 4.0 innings and allowed five runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

“Baseball is a rare sport where can pretty much see anything happen,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “You can play in cold games, hot games, games in rainstorms and then there are games with fog. I thought the pitchers did a great job fighting out there and we came up with some hits when we needed them.”

The Sycamores got on the board in the first as Brady Shoemaker singled to score Chris Schmidt from third. Schmidt reached on a lead-off double before Brian Ramirez would reach on a fielding error at shortstop. A walk loaded the bases before a sac fly to left field from Brian Jett pushed the second run across for Indiana State as the Sycamores held a 2-0 lead after the first frame.

Ole Miss answered in the third inning when Jordan Henry scored on a single to short from Zach Miller. Henry doubled to open the inning before taking third on a throwing error from the pitcher in a pick-off attempt. Miller then crossed the plate on a single from Kyle Mills that scored Miller from second base and tie the game at two.

The Rebels took the lead in the fourth inning when Cody Overbeck hit a two-run shot to right field that also scored Zach Miller who had walked to open the inning. Michael Guerrero drew a walk in the next at bat before Logan Power would homer to left field to push the Rebel lead out to 6-2.

Indiana State cut back into the lead in the seventh, putting two runs on the board in a fog-filled inning. A double and a single to open the inning runners at the corners before a single from Stausborger to right center pushed the first run across the plate. The Rebels went to the bullpen for Scott Bittle and at that point, the umpires pushed the game into a fog-delay that would last for 30 minutes.

Out of the delay, Bittle took the mound for the Rebels with runners at first and second. A passed ball pushed both runners into scoring position before Bittle would notch a strikeout for the first out of the frame. A fielding error on the toss to the bag from a grounder to first allowed the second run of the inning to score. The Rebels then got out of the inning with a critical play at the plate off a grounder to third from Brady Shoemaker and a Bittle strikeout of Nick Ciolli.

Bittle then closed out the eighth inning before Cryer picked up his save with his efforts in the ninth.

Ole Miss and Indiana State will return to the diamond on Saturday when the two-teams will face off at 3:30 p.m. in the second game of a three-game series.

[Cianne]

With the fog cleared out, the Rebel bats got back on track and homered for the 7th consecutive game to start out the season on the way to an 11-4 win over ISU and a 7-0 record. Cody Overbeck continues to tear the cover off the ball and has been hit by a pitch in 5 of 7 games. It was also a solid outing for Cody Satterwhite after a shaky start last weekend against Minnesota.

Saturday

Ole Miss 11
ISU 4

Box Score (http://www.olemisssports.com/pdf1/113728.pdf?ATCLID=1401985&SPID=748&DB_OEM_ID=2600&SPSID=13045)

OXFORD, Miss. – Junior right-hander Cody Satterwhite held the Sycamore offense in check through 7.0 innings while the Rebel bats went to work as No. 2 Ole Miss (7-0) pounded out 21 hits on the way to an 11-4 win over Indiana State on Saturday.

The win clinched the series for the Rebels as Ole Miss will go for the sweep on Sunday.

Satterwhite (2-0) picked up the win as he worked 7.0 innings, allowing only one run on with six strikeouts. He did not walk a batter in his time on the mound.

Brian Oliver (0-1) took the loss for the Sycamores as he allowed six runs on 10 hits with two walks and a strikeout over 3.1 innings of work.

Eight Rebels notched double-digit hits on the afternoon, paced by Michael Hubbard and Zach Miller who both went 3-for-5. Matt Smith came up big as a defensive substitute on Saturday as he went 2-for-2 with a home run as he scored twice and notched two RBI.

“It’s hard to complain when you put up 11 runs,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “We continue to swing the bats well. Cody Satterwhite did a good job for us on the mound, throwing a lot of first pitch strikes and getting ahead in the count which allowed him to be effective for seven innings.”

Ole Miss got on the board in the second inning as Zach Miller scored from first on a double down the right field line from Cullan Kight.

The Sycamores answered in the top of the third when Pascual Del Real scored from third on a single from Bronco Lafrenz. Del Real doubled to open the inning before moving to third on a wild pitch.

The Rebels then responded with a four-run third sparked by back-to-back singles from Jordan Henry and Michael Hubbard before a double from Cody Overbeck pushed Henry across the plate and moved Hubbard to third. Michael Guerrero then doubled to left center, driving in both Hubbard and Overbeck. Guerrero then stole third and scored a play later when Logan Power grounded out to shortstop to give Ole Miss a 5-1 lead.

Ole Miss added another run in the fourth as Evan Button doubled then stole third before scoring on a sac fly from Brett Basham.

Matt Smith homered to open the seventh inning and pushed the Rebel lead to 7-1.

The Sycamores would mount a small rally with a single run in the eighth and a pair of runs in the ninth, but could get no closer as Ole Miss picked up the 11-4 win.

Ole Miss and Indiana State will conclude the series at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

[Cianne]

Well it's never too early in the season for some late inning heroics. Matt Smith, who tore his UCL in his elbow in the first game of the season, decided to forego surgery in order to help the team and this is why. Down by two runs in the bottom of the 9th, Smith (who had already hit a HR earlier on the game), scored a base hit bringing in two Rebels and sending the game to extra innings. He then capped the game off in the bottom of the 12th with a solo walk-off HR deep to left field. Nathan Baker was less than spectacular on the mound today, unfortunately, giving up two home runs to deep left field as the Sycamore batters were able to get the ball up into the 20mph wind headed out that way. Freshman Drew Pomeranz and junior Scott Bittle came into the game in relief for Baker and shut down the Sycamores for the rest of the game until Justin Cryer could come in and pick up the win.

Sunday

Ole Miss 6
ISU 5

Matt Smith's Game-Winning Home Run Lifts No. 2 Rebels Past Indiana State 6-5 In 11 Innings - OleMissSports.com—Official Web Site of University of Mississippi Athletics (http://www.olemisssports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=2600&ATCLID=1403004)



OXFORD, Miss. – Late game heroics were the name of the game on Sunday as freshman Matt Smith’s two-RBI single in the ninth sent things into extra-innings before his walk-off home run in the 11th gave No. 2 Ole Miss (8-0) a 6-5 win over Indiana State and a series sweep.

With the game tied at five and one out on the board in the 11th inning, Matt Smith took the first pitch he saw and sent it over the left field fence and into the fans on the terrace to give the Rebels the win.

Smith paced the Rebels on the afternoon, going 5-for-6 at the plate with two home runs, two runs scored and four RBI.

Justin Cryer (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Rebels as he worked the final 1.2 innings, holding the Sycamores scoreless as he allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one.

Brendon Smith (0-1) suffered the loss for the Sycamores as worked the final 1.1 innings for Indiana State, allowing three hits and one run with one walk and a strikeout.

“It’s nice to have Matt Smith still available,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “The bullpen was a key for us tonight. Drew Pomeranz and Scott Bittle were unhittable and Justin Cryer did a really good job of closing things out for us.”

The Rebels got on the board in the second inning when Matt Smith homered to right field to Ole Miss the early 1-0 advantage.

Indiana State answered in the top of the third, putting four runs across in a run sparked by a solo home run from Brian Ramirez. Five singles to the next six batters would push three more runs across the plate and give Indiana State a 4-1 lead.

The Sycamores extended the lead two frames later as Brian Oliver homered to lead off the fifth inning and give Indiana State a 5-1 edge.

Drew Pomeranz entered the game following the home run and shut down the Sycamores from there along with Bittle and Cryer as the trio from the bullpen combined for six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and two walks, while allowing only four hits between them.

That effort on the mound allowed the Ole Miss hitters to go to work.

The Rebels cut back into the lead in the seventh inning when Basham opened the frame with a triple down the right field line before scoring on a grounder up the middle from Jordan Henry as Basham slid safely around the play at home. Ole Miss would get no more runs across, however, as Indiana State held a 5-2 lead after seven innings of play.

Ole Miss continued to chip away at the lead with a single run in the eighth as Fuller Smith doubled down the left field line to score Zach Miller from second. Miller reached on a throwing error from third before advancing on a single from Matt Smith.

The ninth inning saw late game heroics as the Rebels mounted a two-out rally. Logan Power singled before moving to second on a walk of Michael Guerrero. Zach Miller was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Matt Smith came up with a two-RBI single through the right side to tie the game at five.

Ole Miss will return to action on Tuesday, when the Rebels will play host to Southern Miss. First-pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.