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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Auburn
Kline Pitches Complete Game As Rebels Down Auburn 4-2
3/30/2007 | Baseball
The two pitching staffs combined for only six walks and 10 hits with 22 strikeouts between them in the duel. Ole Miss came out on top with timely hitting late, breaking the 2-2 tie in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout from Brett Basham. The Rebels made the few hits count as two of the four were home runs from Logan Power and Cody Overbeck.
Kline moved to 4-1 on the season as he allowed two hits in 9.0 innings with four walks and the 11 strikeouts. It was only the second double-digit strikeout performance of his career. Kline’s previous long was 8.1 innings pitched at No. 1 Vanderbilt to open SEC play this season.
It was the first Friday night win in SEC play this season for the Rebels.
“It’s big to win on Friday night because we don’t have to come back on Saturday with our backs against the wall,” Kline said. “When the offense isn’t getting as many hits, we pitchers have to come out and battle to help keep us in the game. The complete game is nice, but Logan Power really took the pressure off with his home run in the top of the ninth. It was awesome.”
Paul Burnside (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season as he gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Brett Butts closed out the final 2.0 innings for the Tigers, allowing one run on one hit, a solo home run from Logan Power in the ninth, as he walked none and struck out two batters.
“It was a really gutsy performance in a low scoring game where so much depended on every pitch,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Will Kline was able to deliver the key pitches in the few opportunities
Cody Overbeck hit a two-run home run in the fourth to get the Rebels on the board with a 2-0 lead. Overbeck’s shot scored Justin Henry who reached on catcher’s interference to lead off the inning.
Mike Bianucci answered in the bottom half of the inning with his own two-run shot to tie the game at two.
Ole Miss regained the lead in the seventh when JoJo Tann scored from third on a groundout from Basham. Tann entered as a pinch runner for C.J. Ketchum who singled with one out on the board. He then moved to third on a single down the right field line from Evan Button before scoring on the groundout by Basham.
Power homered over the green monster in left field in the ninth to push the Rebel lead to two runs at 4-2. The insurance run was critical as Kline closed out the game in the ninth to give the Rebels the win in the series opener.
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