Kelby ZendejasThe No. 4 Ole Miss baseball program dropped its first on-the-road game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 13-1, on Monday, and the Rebels will now prepare for their first SEC series of the season against the Auburn Tigers.
The second series game against Louisiana Tech, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled due to a potential COVID-19 case. As disappointing as this loss may seem, there are still plenty of opportunities for Ole Miss to officially begin playing as a true Omaha contender starting this weekend.
The Rebels officially dropped their first mid-week matchup of the season on Tuesday and ultimately fell to 13-4 on the season, adding two games to the losing streak. The starting pitcher for the Rebels on Tuesday night was freshman Josh Malltiz (1-1), who went four innings on the mound and gave up four hits and three runs in the first inning.
“We really didn’t do anything in all three phases … offense, defense, pitching,” head coach Mike Bianco said in the press conference after the game. “We didn’t play better defense and didn’t help ourselves out. It’s disappointing.”
The Rebels tallied six hits and stranded nine on base offensively. Junior Keven Graham went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored a run. The main source of problems for the Rebels against the Bulldogs was Louisiana Tech’s star pitcher Cade Gibson, who only allowed one run on five hits over 7.1 innings. The Bulldogs’ 13 runs are the most against the Rebels since June 10, 2019, at the Fayetteville Super Regional finale against Arkansas.
“I wish I had that answer,” Bianco said after a question about not hitting Gibson. “Sometimes it’s just a tough night. He threw a ton of strikes, hit a ton of fastballs in and out.”
In other unfortunate news for the Rebels, Nikhazy won’t be pitching against Auburn this weekend, Bianco announced in the postgame press conference as well. The pitcher has been out due to a chest injury and missed last weekend’s series against the University of Louisiana at Monroe, as reliever Derek Diamond took his place on the mound.
The Auburn Tigers are currently 11-5 overall and are coming off a win against Lipscomb, 9-7. Auburn hit four home runs in the first five innings and scored nine runs on ten hits in the first five frames. Junior Tyler Miller hit two home runs in the five frames, hitting a home run at the top of the second and then another in the third with a three-run home run.
Without Nikhazy, the Rebels will be relying on the rest of the bullpen to pitch the Rebels on top for their first SEC matchup of this 2021 season. Resting at the top surely didn’t last long, and now, this first SEC series can determine whether or not the trip to Omaha is in the cards for the Rebels.
The Rebels will begin the series on Friday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Swayze Field. Fans can watch the series until Sunday, March 21 on SEC Network + or listen to the game on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
