Players celebrate their win over TCU in an elimination game Thursday. (AP Photo/Eric Francis)
OMAHA, Neb. – The Rebels’ offense finally woke up and helped them move on to the College World Series final four with a 6-4 win over TCU.
The Diamond Rebels strung together 11 hits and six runs to force a rematch with the one team that has defeated them so far in the College World Series, Virginia.
“It was a great baseball game. We were fortunate that we got some timely hits and that’s what this game is all about,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said of the game against TCU. “It comes down to if you can get the hit with runners on and we were able to do that on the other side of the ball and we made pitches to get out of innings. Proud of our guys.”
The Rebels started scoring early in the game in the third inning. Braxton Lee singled to center to score J.B. Woodman to make it 1-0 Ole Miss. Will Allen, who was the designated hitter this game because of a shoulder injury, lined a two RBI double to right center to score Lee and Austin Bousfield to make it 3-0.
Starting pitcher for the Rebels Sam Smith struggled in the third inning, where he was tagged with three earned runs from runners he left on base and was taken out after 3.1 innings pitched. Josh Laxer came in and gave up a bases-loaded walk from the runners left on base by Smith, which tied it up at 3 after four innings.
Sikes Orvis would have a big day for the Rebel offense. He hit an RBI single to right field to score Bousfield in the fifth inning to give Ole Miss the lead back 4-3.
TCU first baseman Kevin Cron hit just the second homer of this year’s College World Series to tie the game at four in the fifth inning.
Will Allen and Sikes Orvis struggled in their first two College World Series games, each going hitless in the first two games. They racked up three hits each in the game against TCU. Allen would go 3-5 from the plate with three RBIs, capped off by a single to center to score Bousfield to give Ole Miss the lead back in the seventh 5-4.
Orvis would cap off his 3-5 and two RBI day with an insurance RBI double in the top of the ninth to make it 6-4 Ole Miss.
Wyatt Short came into the game in the seventh and pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, giving up no hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
Aaron Greenwood came on in the eighth inning to close it out and did so, going 1.1 innings to seal the victory for Ole Miss.
“It was fun,” Greenwood said on closing the game. “Especially TCU. They put us out two years ago in a regional. It just felt good to get back at them. They’re a great ball team, pitching outstanding. Their hitters are great, especially Cron with the big home run. I felt like we played better today offensively, defensively and out pitching.”
The crowd of 25,783 at TD Ameritrade Park was the largest so far in the 2014 College World Series and the tenth largest crowd in the four years the series has been held at the park. The wind was very calm throughout the duration of the game, which helped the Rebels get hits.
“I know for me personally, I like to try to drive the ball. Seeing the wind blowing in like that kind of knocks me off my game a little bit,” Orvis said. “So finally I got out there in BP (batting practice) and we were hitting, and the ball was carrying a little bit, so we all got wide eyed. The game got going, and when it stayed the same, we were like, ‘All right, we can swing tonight.’ Then we started having some good at-bats together. A lot of guys got good swings off.”
Four out of the last five games for the Rebels have been elimination games and the Rebels have won them all.
“It’s something we’ve talked about form the beginning of the season. The off-season we really worked hard on and off the field, just really being tough,” Allen said. “It’s just kind of been something that the team has really taken to, just the mindset of one through nine throughout the lineup. We have guys that can step up and really be the hero on any given day.
“It’s just something with this team when our back’s are up against the wall, we play really good baseball. Just a very tough team, and we’ve continued to do it throughout the whole season.”
The Rebels will face Virginia again at 7 p.m. Friday for a chance to advance to the finals.
– Dylan Rubino
thedmsports@gmail.com
