The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Louisiana-Monroe
Rebels Shut Out Warhawks 14-0, Even Series
2/21/2010 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. - The Rebel offense exploded while Aaron Barrett and Eric Callender combined to pitch a four hit shutout as No. 17 Ole Miss (1-1) defeated Louisiana-Monroe (1-1) by a score of 14-0 on Saturday to even the weekend series.
The two teams will play the rubber match at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Slated to throw for the Rebels is junior Trent Rothlin, while Louisiana-Monroe is expected to send Corey Brown to the mound for the final contest.
Barrett (1-0) picked up the win for the Rebels, allowing only two hits in 6.0 innings of work while striking out seven and walking only one. Callender then picked up the save with 3.0 innings of work as he held the Warhawks to two hits and walked only one while striking out three.
Starter Josh Miller (0-1) took the loss for ULM as he allowed eight runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. He also allowed three home runs in the loss as the Rebel offense came alive early.
"Today was a little different than yesterday," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "Yesterday they (ULM) only walked two and we walked five. Today we got double digit hits and only walked two. When you do that and turn a couple of double plays, you have a much better shot at winning.
"Offensively, I like this club. I think we are going to be able to hit for power and score some runs all throughout the line-up. Aaron Barrett has really worked hard in the offseason on his change-up. He kept them off balance. I think last year was tough on Aaron, but he handled it terrifically. We are very proud of him for today."
The Rebels burst out of the gates, scoring three runs in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Matt Snyder opened the frame with a single before scoring on a double from Zach Miller. Miller then scored on a two-run home run from David Phillips - his second of the season.
Ole Miss added six more runs in the third inning, using a pair of home runs in back-to-back at bats from Matt Smith and Snyder to spark the big inning. Tim Ferguson opened the inning with a double before scoring on the Smith homer. Snyder then hit a solo shot in the next at bat. Zach Miller and Phillips drew walks in the next two at bats, forcing ULM into a pitching change.
A double-steal put both runners in scoring position and a groundout to short from freshman Alex Yarbrough pushed Miller across the plate and gave the Rebels a 6-2 lead. Taylor Hightower then singled to score Phillips from third. Kevin Mort singled and Ferguson drew a walk before Miles Hamblin drew a bases loaded walk to push Hightower home and cap the scoring for the inning, leaving the Rebels with a 9-0 lead.
Ole Miss then added three more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 12-0, and used a pair of runs in the eighth to give the Rebels the final 14-0 margin of victory.
Nine Rebels notched hits on the afternoon, led by Snyder and Hightower who both went 3-for-5 at the plate. Snyder scored three runs and notched one RBI, while Hightower added an RBI and a run scored. Phillips was also 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three RBI.
