OXFORD, Miss. _ Three home runs were the difference as the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels had to earn a 5-2 victory over the University of Central Arkansas Bears on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 6,847 at Swayze Field.
The Bears (7-9) used most of its bullpen, on purpose, and it worked to the tune of 10 strikeouts of the Rebels, who entered the game hitting .282 for the season with 100 less strikeouts than their opponents. UCA, the top defensive team in the Southland Conference, also did not commit an error, and in fact made several big defensive plays behind the UCA staff. The Rebels (17-4), who swept the Auburn Tigers last weekend in Southeastern Conference play, had a pair of errors and four wild pitches.
The Bears opened the game with consecutive singles on the first two pitches they saw as leadoff batter
Connor Emmett singled to left center and
A.J. Mendolia followed with one to left to put runners on first and second against Ole Miss starter Josh Mallitz.
Connor Flagg then reached on a throwing error by shortstop Jacob Gonzalez that allowed Emmet to give UCA a 1-0 lead.
Gonzalez quickly made up for his miscue with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to give Ole Miss a 2-1 lead. The Rebels led the nation in home runs in last season's pandemic-shortened year.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Rebels pushed their lead to 3-1 in the fourth with back-to-back home runs by Tim Elko and Hayden Dunhurst. The Rebels got one more in the fifth before UCA answered in the sixth inning. Senior third baseman
Beau Orlando led off with a base hit to left, then went to second and third on consecutive wild pitches. Flagg then hit a dribbler back to the Ole Miss pitcher and Orlando came in for UCA's second run.
UCA went to its bullpen early and often and got three strikeouts from two different relievers, freshmen
Tate Busey and
Trent Gregson.
Ole Miss, which finished with eight hits, went to its senior closer Taylor Broadway in the ninth and he struck out the side for his third save in the past four games.
Flagg had a pair of RBIs for the Bears, who scattered their five hits among five different players. Ole Miss leadoff hitter Justin Bench went 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored for the Rebels.
UCA returns to Southland Conference play this weekend in San Antonio against UIW, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
