Ole Miss has lost three in a row for the first time this season. South Carolina came to Oxford this past weekend and was the first team to sweep the Rebels at home since 2013, but Ole Miss will look to reverse its fortune on Wednesday night against Memphis at Autozone Park.
Freshman James McArthur pitches in a game earlier this year. (File Photo)
The Rebels hold a 92-52 advantage in the all-time series, and the two teams have already met once this year — a game that Ole Miss won 9-7. Memphis scored three runs in both the second and the third inning, jumping out to a 6-0 lead before Ole Miss used a seven-run fourth inning to take the lead.
Andy Pagnozzi earned the win, pitching 3.2 innings in relief of starter James McArthur and earning his second win of the season.
McArthur will get the nod in this game as well, attempting to fare better against a Memphis lineup that scored six runs against him in the first meeting and ran the freshman right hander out of the game early.
McArthur is coming off of a win against UT-Martin in which he went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and picked up his third win of the year. McArthur sports a 3-0 record with a 5.48 ERA in five starts and six total appearances this season.
Memphis comes into the game with a record of 9-14, and is coming off of a weekend in which it dropped two of three games on the road at Southern Illinois.
Memphis is just 5-12 since starting the season off 4-2. This matchup will be the second of two midweek games for the Tigers this week, and the team has yet to announce its starter.
The Tigers are led at the plate by Chris Carrier. Carrier is hitting .315 with three home runs and 18 RBIs this season in 23 games. He leads the team in RBIs and is second on the team with 29 hits. Jake Little leads the way with 30 hits, and also has three home runs on the year.
It does not get any easier for Ole Miss after being swept this weekend, after the Rebels play Memphis they will travel to Starkville to take on fifth-ranked Mississippi State in the a three game series this weekend.
The Bulldogs are playing well and took two of three from Vanderbilt and Georgia to start the year, which makes it all the more imperative that Ole Miss gets back on track beginning on Wednesday night. The four game road trip is the second longest of the season for the Rebels.
Ole Miss is 7-0 in midweek games this season and will try to earn its eighth tomorrow night. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
– Brian Scott Rippee
