Sophomore center fielder Auston Bousfield scores the tying run in the ninth inning Wednesday against Saint Louis. / (Quentin Winstine)
BY MATT SIGLER
mcsigler@go.olemiss.edu
It took extra innings, but No. 24 Ole Miss was able to pull past nonconference foe Saint Louis last night 8-7 behind a walk-off single from junior Austin Anderson. The Rebels (32-14) fell behind early after giving up four runs in the first inning, but they were able to rally with a two-run ninth to force extra innings.
“It’s an amazing game,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “We start off the first inning, and they put together an inning offensively as good of an inning we’ve faced all year long. You’ve got to credit Saint Louis. Every time they’ve been here, they’ve been very offensive.”
Saint Louis got things started in the first with an RBI double from first baseman Mike Vigliarolo before catcher Grant Nelson smashed a three-run home run to push the lead to 4-0. Ole Miss starter Josh Laxer, a sophomore right-hander, was relieved after only recording two outs in favor of sophomore right-hander Scott Weathersby. The Hattiesburg native would end up going 4.1 innings and only giving up two hits in relief.
“Proud of the way Weathersby came in and put a bunch of zeroes up,” Bianco said. “He kept them at bay and gave us a shot.”
Ole Miss would chip away at the four-run deficit when it got on the board with two runs in the bottom half of the third. Senior left fielder Tanner Mathis recorded an RBI single, and junior shortstop Austin Anderson added a sacrifice fly to cut the lead in half. Freshman designated hitter Holt Perdzock would then pull the Rebels within one in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI groundout, but Saint Louis would answer quickly.
The Billikens added two runs in the top half of the eighth on RBI singles from center fielder Danny Brennan and second baseman Mike Levine to push the lead to 6-3.
The safety cushion didn’t last long though when the Rebels answered with two in the bottom of the same inning on a sacrifice fly from Perdzock and an RBI single from Preston Overbey. However, junior Lance Wilson, who was in as a pinch runner, was tagged out at the plate to keep the Billikens up by a run.
Saint Louis continued to fight offensively in the top of the ninth and scored one run on a bases-loaded walk, but couldn’t get anything else, stranding the bases loaded. They took a 7-5 lead into the ninth, but the pesky Rebels kept chipping away.
Junior catcher Stuart Turner, who was 4-for-5 with two RBIs on the night, tied things up in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run single before Anderson was tagged out at the plate to force extra innings.
In the eleventh, Mathis and Bousfield reached on a single and fielder’s choice, respectively. Then, Anderson won the game for the Rebels on a walk-off single. On the play, Anderson was looking to bunt, but recognized a defensive shift and pulled back and swung away.
“Coach Bianco and (Cliff) Godwin always told us if they try to run the wheel play then pull back, stay short and try to hit something on the ground,” Anderson said. “Ironically, I didn’t hit it on the ground, but it found a hole, and it was good to see it drop and get a walk-off victory.”
Senior left fielder Tanner Mathis scores the game-winning run in the eleventh inning against Saint Louis Wednesday. / (Quentin Winstine)
