A showing packed with blunders by the host Rebels found Ole Miss falling to Murray State 9-6 in the nightcap of the Oxford Regional’s opening round in front of a packed house at Swayze Field.
Mike Bianco’s pitching staff’s remarkable run in last week’s SEC Tournament, one in which Ole Miss only surrendered six total runs, did not continue on Friday night against a strong Racer offense. Murray State swung the stick effectively in the postseason affair, etching 12 hits on the statsheet with nine runs to complement the offensive excellence.
Disaster struck the Rebels (40-20) early when Murray State center fielder Jonathan Hogart hit a first-pitch home run that was nearly robbed by Isaac Humphrey. Two-hole hitter Dustin Mercer doubled, then advanced to third on an ensuing single by Carson Garner, which was unable to be corralled by Ole Miss second baseman Judd Utermark. A sacrifice fly scored Mercer, and Murray State found itself up 2-0 in the top of the first inning.
Rebel pitcher Riley Maddox was able to work his way out of the frame without allowing any further damage on the scoreboard. The Racers, however, were not done delivering early blows. Mercer’s second double of the night scored Conner Cunningham in the top of the second. A two-out sacrifice fly sent another Racer to home plate.
After holding Murray State scoreless in the top of the third, Ole Miss worked back into contention courtesy of a three-run shot by Utermark.
Looking to give his team its best chance at taking game one of the regional, Bianco subbed standout reliever Mason Morris in during the top of the fourth. Morris held the Racers scoreless in the frame. Rebel designated hitter Campbell Smithwick gave the home club momentum in the bottom of the fourth, smacking a home run over the right field wall.
The stalemate ended quickly due to a two-out single by Ole Miss third baseman Luke Hill that scored Luke Cheng to give the Rebels their first lead of the night.
The lead was short-lived, though. A fielding error by Humphrey gave the Racers a man on first base with one out. A follow-up ball smacked to the right field wall, one that Hayden Federico couldn’t quite hold in his glove, tied the ballgame once more. Murray State reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout scoring Hogart.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the seventh when Rebel first baseman Will Furniss singled, scoring Hill. But that was it for Ole Miss offensively. With the contest tied 6-6 in the top of the eighth inning, Murray State’s Dom Decker recorded a go-ahead single to hold a one-run advantage.
Murray State found itself in an advantageous position to break away in its final offensive frame. Rebel reliever Will McCausland walked his first batter of the inning and was promptly pulled by Bianco. Freshman left-hander Walker Hooks took over but was quickly yanked following a fielding error and a batter being hit by a pitch.
With the bases loaded, one out, and a red-hot Hogart stepping up to the plate, Bianco turned to his closer, Conner Spencer, to clean up the mess. Spencer worked a quick out and was on pace to get out of the frame unblemished until Mercer doubled for the fourth time of the night, giving the Racers a three-run buffer heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Friday’s contest ended dramatically as the Rebels found themselves with bases loaded and Smithwick, who homered earlier in the night, at the plate. A popout ended the game, with the home team being upset on its turf.
Mercer had the hot bat for Murray State in the regional opener, recording four hits (all doubles) and three RBI. Hogart had the lone home run for his club. For Ole Miss, home runs by Utermark and Smithwick were the offensive highlights of the game.
Racer pitcher Nic Schutte had a strong night on the mound, putting in 6.1 innings of work, which entailed nine strikeouts and 119 total pitches. Maddox, who had been solid in his most recent outings, was not on his game Friday night. The Jackson Prep alum only gave the Rebels three innings on the hill and surrendered four earned runs in the process. While Murray State only used three of its pitchers in the matchup, Bianco threw six arms.
Coach’s comments
Bianco quickly credited Murray State for its performance, but also acknowledged that his team struggled in all aspects of the game. From rough pitching to a poor approach at the plate, the longtime skipper acknowledged that his club did not play a winning brand of baseball on Friday.
“We didn’t play particularly well in any of the phases [of the game], but they did, and we got beat,” Bianco said. “When you get to this point of the season, it’s like SEC weekend baseball. You have to play well, or else you will lose because the other teams are good. We weren’t good enough today, and they were the better team.”
Looking to flush the loss and turn the page, Bianco emphasized that his team is not looking beyond its upcoming matchup against Western Kentucky. However, Bianco maintained a sense of confidence that his crew will get it together and play well enough to win the regional.
“It starts with tomorrow. You’ve got to get through the game. Somebody does it every year. Somebody loses game one and makes it through, Bianco said. “I like this club. I know they will stick together. I think you have to be careful with trying to look to the finish line and the next step. The next step is tomorrow against Western Kentucky.”
Next up
Ole Miss will return to the diamond in the loser’s bracket of the regional. The Rebels will take on the Hilltoppers, who lost its regional opener to Georgia Tech, at 1 p.m.
