Ole Miss Baseball Cruises To Game Two Win Over Kentucky

OXFORD, Miss. (Ole Miss Athletics) – Hot bats were the theme of the night for the No. 6 Ole Miss baseball team as 21 hits lifted the team to a 14-2 series-clinching win over Kentucky. On a Friday night where four senior Rebels (Connor Cloyd, Matt Denny, Cameron Dishon and Holt Perdzock) were honored before the game, a crowd of 9,142 secured a new regular season total attendance record at Swayze Field.

The Rebels (38-13, 16-10 SEC) were outstanding offensively on the night as each Ole Miss starter tallied at least one hit. Twenty-one hits on the night were the most this season by Ole Miss. The Rebels also had back-to-back homers for the third time this season.

Robinson went 5-for-6 on the night with four runs and three RBI, earning new career highs in hits and runs. Five other Rebels also earned multi-hit games. Sophomore Tate Blackman and junior J.B. Woodman each roped a home run, with Blackman going 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBI and Woodman finishing the evening 3-for-4 with three RBI. Colby Bortles and Will Golsan added three hits and two runs apiece as well.

Left-handed pitcher David Parkinson (4-2) tossed 6.0 innings, allowing only five hits and striking out a career-high six to collect a victory. Freshman Andy Pagnozzi (1) finished the game, pitching effectively for three innings (three hits, one run) to earn his first career save.

For Kentucky (29-22, 13-13), Dustin Beggs (8-2) suffered the loss after the Rebels tallied nine runs on 14 hits against the righty. At the plate, designated hitter Gunnar McNeill went 2-for-4 knocking in the two Wildcat runs.

After Parkinson posted a one-two-three inning, the Rebels wasted no time getting the bats rolling. Robinson took the second pitch of the game and sent it to right-center field for a double. With one out, Blackman went yard to put two runs on the board. Woodman’s turn was next and the junior sent one into the Ole Miss bullpen beyond left field for back-to-back homers.

The Rebels held a steady 3-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth inning when they added three more runs. Cloyd sent a double to right field before Robinson’s RBI single up the middle moved him across the dish. With four runs on the board, Olenek singled to center, and the Rebels had runners on first and second. Woodman singled back to center field to plate Robinson, and a wild pitch allowed Olenek to score to give Ole Miss a 6-0 advantage after four.

The Wildcats responded with a run in the fifth. Dorian Hairston singled up the middle to start the scoring inning. A ground-rule double moved Hairston to third before McNeill’s groundout RBI ended Parkinson’s chance at a scoreless night on the mound.

The Ole Miss bats remained on fire in the fifth inning as the Rebels continued to rake the ball. Bortles, Golsan and Fitzsimmons hit three consecutive singles and Ole Miss had ducks on the pond with no outs. Cloyd executed his job and hit a sacrifice fly to score the seventh run. Robinson tallied his third hit of the night when his single through the right side added another two RBI to his big night. Olenek reached first after being hit by a pitch and Blackman got his chance to extend the lead. The second baseman did just that, yanking a triple to right field to send two more Rebels home. When the dust settled, Ole Miss put a five-spot on the board to increase their lead to double digits, 11-1.

Parkinson headed back to the mound for the sixth inning and finished his effective outing on the mound before Pagnozzi took over to start the seventh. The right-handed pitcher put Kentucky away in order, and Ole Miss went back to the bats in the bottom half. An opposite-field single gave Robinson his fourth hit of the night. He later scored on Woodman’s RBI single to right field that extended the Ole Miss cushion to 11 runs.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Rebels added more runs as the bats couldn’t be stopped. Golsan raked his second triple of the weekend to plate Bortles. With Golsan standing on third, Cloyd grounded out to first base for is second RBI of the night.

The Wildcats scored a late run in the ninth. McNeill knocked in his second run with a single up the middle to score shortstop Riley Mahan. Pagnozzi finished the game and earned the save as Ole Miss defeated Kentucky for a final score of 14-2.

The Rebels will go for the three-game sweep against Kentucky as the two meet in the final matchup on Saturday at Swayze Field. Freshman James McArthur will toe the rubber for Ole Miss, facing off against Kentucky senior Kyle Cody. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. and fans can tune into the action on SEC Network+, the WatchESPN app or the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.