.png&width=48&height=48&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Season Ends After Slugfest With St. John's
6/6/2010 | Baseball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Matt Snyder turned in a career day, going 5-for-6 with six RBI and a grand slam to help power the Rebel offense, but it wasn't enough to win a slugfest as No. 22 Ole Miss (39-24) ended its season with a 20-16 loss to St. John's (42-19) in an NCAA Regional on Sunday.
Ole Miss pounded out 16 runs on 18 hits, but couldn't keep pace with the Red Storm who put eight runs up in the first inning and used 22 hits to drive in 20 runs on the afternoon.
David Goforth (1-6) suffered the loss for the Rebels as he allowed seven runs on seven hits with three walks and a strikeout in 0.2 innings of work.
Bruce Kern (7-5) picked up the win for St. John's as he allowed seven runs on 13 hits in 6.0 innings of work against the Rebels with a walk and five strikeouts, but benefitted from the big first inning as the Rebels fought back repeatedly through the afternoon.
"It's tough when you lose, and even tougher when the loss ends your season," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "You have to congratulate St. John's on the win today. We couldn't stop them even though we swung the bats well all weekend. We gave up eight runs in the first, but kept fighting back. It seemed like every time we got close, they answered.
"I'm proud of the way our guys continued to fight. It's an uphill battle when you have to win three games, but we continued to fight all the way through the ninth inning even after falling behind by eight runs in the first inning."
St. John's got on the board first when a triple off the batters eye with one out from Matt Wessinger set up an RBI groundout from Joe Panik. The Red Storm then used a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs. A single up the middle from Jimmy Parque drove in two more runs before another single up the middle drove in a fourth run as the Red Storm took a 4-0 lead on the Rebels.
A walk loaded the bases again and sent the Rebels to the bullpen for Trent Rothlin.
Rothlin then gave up a single through the right side, scoring two more runs before a double to right center drove in another pair of runs to put the Red Storm up 8-0 in the first inning. An infield single put men at the corners before a bit batter loaded the bases for the second time in the frame. Rothlin then got a fly out to left field to end the inning with the Rebels down 8-0.
Alex Yarbrough came up with a two-RBI triple in the second, scoring Zach Miller and Taylor Hashman to cut back into the lead and spark a Rebel rally. Miller and Hashman both reached on singles through the left side to open the frame. Yarbrough then crossed the plate three batters later when Tim Ferguson reached on a grounder to second that saw the throw go over the first baseman's head, preventing a double play as the Rebels cut the lead to 8-3.
A Smith single and a single to left from Snyder with a fielding error put both men in scoring position in the third before Miller was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Hashman grounded into a double play at third, but Smith crossed the plate on the play, cutting the lead to four at 8-4.
The Rebels continued to chip away at the lead, scoring a run in the fourth when Tanner Mathis singled through the right side to score Kevin Mort from second. Mort doubled to open the inning and get into scoring position for the Mathis hit.
St. John's answered in the bottom of the inning, using a double down the left field line from Parque to score Jeremy Baltz from first. Baltz was hit by a pitch to open the inning as the lead went back out to four runs at 9-5.
The Rebels cut the lead back to three in the fifth when Matt Snyder hit a solo shot to left field to put the score at 9-6 in favor of the Red Storm.
Again, St. John's answered in the bottom half of the frame after a pitching change that left runners at the corners with two outs and Rory McKean coming to the mound. Baltz then hit a single up the middle to push a run across and take the lead back out to four at 10-6.
The bottom of the sixth inning saw the Red Storm continue to add to the lead with a pair of two-out runs on a double to center field from Jimmy Brennan that came with men at the corners. Wessinger then singled up the middle to drive in Brennan and extend the lead back out to seven at 13-6. The Rebels then turned to the bullpen for Brett Huber.
Joe Panik then homered to right center to drive in two more runs as St. John's moved out to a 15-6 lead on the Rebels before a groundout to short would end the inning.
Ole Miss loaded the bases with no one out in the seventh and got a run across on a fielder's choice to short from Hashman, but a double play on a grounder back to the pitcher ended the inning with no more damage as the Rebels continued to trail 15-7.
A throwing error following a single to short by Ferguson in the eighth pushed another run across for the Rebels and left men at the corners before a single through the left side from Smith drove in a second run and cut the lead to 15-9. With Ferguson at second and Smith at first, Matt Snyder doubled to left center, driving in Ferguson while a fielding error allowed Smith to score from first and cut the lead to 15-11. A groundout and a strikeout ended the inning with the Rebels still down four.
St. John's responded in the eighth, using three straight hits to open the inning and push two runs across the plate. A fourth consecutive hit - a double from Panik - put men at second and third before Parque's sac fly to center field scored him and extended the lead to 18-11. A single up the middle drove in a fourth run before a double to right center scored a fifth and put the Rebels down 20-11.
Miles Hamblin drew a bases loaded walk with one out in the ninth to push a run across for the Rebels that cut the lead to 20-12, before Matt Snyder hit a grand slam to cut the lead to 20-16. Ole Miss couldn't manage another run as St. John's coaxed a groundout from the final batter to end the game.
