Sikes Orvis and Holt Perdzock celebrate a homerun by Orvis during a game against Missouri. Photo: Thomas Graning, The Daily Mississippian.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Rebel offense continued to click on Sunday, putting together a big rally and scoring in seven consecutive innings as No. 12 Ole Miss (33-12, 13-8 Southeastern Conference) defeated No. 17 Kentucky (27-19, 9-12 SEC) by a score of 9-6 to sweep the series.
The Rebels pushed two runs across the plate in the seventh inning to take the lead and added an insurance run in the eighth to pick up the win. It marked only the third time in program history for Ole Miss to sweep Kentucky in Lexington.
Senior Jeremy Massie (3-2) picked up the win in relief, working the final 4.0 innings and holding the Wildcats to only two hits with four strikeouts as Ole Miss rallied for the win.
Freshman Logan Salow (2-2) suffered the loss for the Wildcats, giving up the go-ahead run as he worked 1.1 innings and allowed three runs on six hits.
“We knew at some point that Kentucky offense would get going, and it did today,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “(Senior) Aaron Greenwood came in for us in the third and slowed them down enough for us to get back in things. (Jeremy) Massie was just terrific at the end. He’s the only pitcher for us today who really kept them at bay.
“(Junior) Auston (Bousfield) had an unbelievable weekend that continued today, and we had so many guys with big hits and so many clutch hits. We got some great base running and some gutsy calls with runners at third base from Coach Godwin.”
Kentucky got off to a quick start with junior Austin Cousino taking the first pitch and sending it up the middle to put the leadoff man on for the Wildcats in the first. Cousino was out on the next play with a fielder’s choice, but a walk of junior A.J. Reed put two men on base. Senior Michael Thomas then hit a soft grounder to first to advance both runners to scoring position with two outs on the board.
Sophomore Ka’ai Tom then doubled off the wall in right to bring home both runners and put the Wildcats up 2-0 after the first.
Ole Miss answered in the second, using a leadoff double from junior Sikes Orvis and a two-out single to left center from senior Preston Overbey to cut the lead in half at 2-1.
The hit parade continued in the third as senior Will Allen hit a two-run shot to right to cut the lead to 4-3 in favor of the Wildcats after the top of the third.
Kentucky looked to put together an answering rally for the third straight inning, but the Rebels escaped the bases-loaded jam when reliever senior Aaron Greenwood coaxed a fly ball to center out of Cousino to end the inning and keep the score 4-3 heading to the fourth.
Ole Miss tied the game in the fourth on an RBI groundout to short from Overbey that scored Woodman from third.
The Wildcats moved back in front in the bottom of the fourth.
Again the Rebels had an answer when Allen came through with a big two-out hit to right center to score Bousfield from first. Bousfield was hit by a pitch to put him on and scored from first when Allen drove the ball to right center to even the game at 5-5.
Ole Miss moved in front of the Wildcats for the first time on the afternoon when Orvis delivered a sac fly to score Allen in the seventh. A throwing error four batters later brought a second run home in the inning and the Rebels held an 8-6 lead over the Wildcats at the stretch.
Ole Miss added to the lead in the eighth inning with an RBI single to right from Anderson that scored Bousfield, who opened the inning with a double off the wall in right. The Rebels held a 9-6 lead after the top of the eighth.
Ole Miss will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Southern Miss in the final home midweek contest of the season. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
— Ole Miss Sports Information
