Saturday’s rubber match between Ole Miss and No. 15 Kentucky was when the pitching dam finally broke and 21 runs were scored in a 12-9 Rebels victory to take the series.
Leading up to Saturday, there had only been nine runs scored combined all series with Ole Miss (19-6, 3-3 SEC) winning 5-0 on Thursday and Kentucky (19-4, 4-2 SEC) winning 3-1 on Friday. Whether these two teams started seeing the ball better on a picture perfect day in Oxford or the arms just finally ran out on both sides or a combination
of both, it was a thrilling end to this conference series.
Tristan Bissetta, Collin Reuter and Daniel Pacella each had home runs in the game, and the Rebels scored three runs in the seventh and eighth inning to mount an offensive comeback the Wildcats couldn’t answer. On the mound, an impressive outing from Walker Hooks (4.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 K) slammed the door on Kentucky earned his first win of the season.
Bissetta is having an absolutely blazing hot start to the first half of this season batting .404 to lead the team and rank fourth in the SEC in addition to blasting 14 home runs thus far and rank second in the conference. He also is tied for first in the SEC with 38 RBI’s as of Sunday morning putting him in the very elite position of vying for the conference triple crown potentially down the road.
Now has Ole Miss done enough to get back in the top 25? Most likely fans should see the top 25 status come back this week, but there is a huge week ahead for the Rebels as it plays Memphis on Tuesday before a three game home series against the inventors of college baseball top five Mississippi State. It should be a helluva week for the sport in the Magnolia State.
