The University of Mississippi Athletics
Game 2: Ole Miss 8, UNCW 4
2/25/2017 | Baseball, Blog
Sure, this season is only six games old. However, it's apparent that it's not easy to put this Ole Miss baseball team away. They're young, but they have a knack for winning like a much older team. Just ask ECU and UNCW. Today, the Rebels had opportunities to swell their lead throughout the game but just couldn't get the hit to do so. It seemed like that would cost Ole Miss the game when the Seahawks took the lead for the first time this weekend with a three-run home run in the eighth. The bottom of the eighth proved that was not the case. The Rebels had another rally in them.
Key Moment: Nick Feight lifted a pitched over the left field wall for a three-run home run to give the Seahawks a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning. No big deal. Ole Miss would just answer right back. Ole Miss placed a five-spot on the board in the bottom of the eighth. Kessinger walked, was bunted over, and scored on a Tate Blackman single. The Rebels weren't settling for a tie game. They were going to do what they had failed to do earlier. Break the game open. Freshman Bryan Seamster barreled up a 3-2 pitch for a two-run homer to break that tie and bring on showers in right field. From there, the Rebels added two more runs of insurance. That's how you answer a three-run homer by an opponent. By throwing up a five spot in the bottom half of the same inning.Â
Player of the Game: James McArthur. The win stat for pitchers isn't a good stat. Just look at what McArthur did today. He threw a brilliant six innings, keeping a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He struck out a career-high 11 batters in a dominating performance. He didn't get the win because the bullpen lost the slim lead, but that won't be the case most times he pitches like that.Â
Number of the Game: 2. Seamster had one plate appearance and one hit coming into Saturday. You could say the second hit of his career was in a little bigger moment than his single against Arkansas State. It was the huge hit that clinched the series and kept the Rebels undefeated.Â
