Aidan Gallardo
The No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels (11-2) defeated No. 22 Southern Miss (8-4) on Tuesday night 11-5 to win their fifth-straight game.
Right-handed pitcher JT Quinn got the start for Ole Miss. He was a little shaky in the first inning but eventually found his rhythm.
Through four innings, Quinn allowed three hits, one (unearned) run, two walks and had one strikeout.
The Rebels got on the board in the second inning thanks to a leadoff home run by first baseman Anthony Calarco that ignited the showers in the outfield. A few minutes later, second baseman Peyton Chatagnier hit a home run over the left field wall to give Ole Miss an early 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ole Miss scored four runs and took a commanding 7-1 lead. Third baseman Ethan Lege, center fielder Ethan Groff and catcher Calvin Harris each contributed with RBIs.
This game seemed all but over until trouble ensued in the sixth inning.
Southern Miss scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning and cut what was once a seven-run Ole Miss lead down to three.
But the Rebels played spoiler makers and Calarco produced an RBI-single in the bottom of the sixth inning to add a bit more cushion to their lead.
The big change in the game came when freshman right-handed relief pitcher Sam Tookoian entered the game in the top of the seventh inning.
Tookoian pitched lights-out, striking out two batters in two hitless innings.
“Just good stuff,” head coach Mike Bianco said about Tookoian’s performance after the game. “Continues to get better. … Several times where he’s come on the field where your hope is, ‘You’re not going to stick that freshman in that situation too many times.’ But time after time, he gets in there and gets us off.”
The Rebels Ole Miss scored 11 runs, making it their eighth game scoring double-digit runs this season. The offense shows up big game after game and propels the team to these big victories.
But it’s not one guy carrying the offense. It’s coming from every person in the lineup.
“We’re swinging it really well,” Bianco said about how well the offense has performed this season. “And it’s coming from different people. Three home runs tonight and Calarco continues to swing a hot bat, and (TJ) McCants is swinging it well and Chatagnier’s hitting near .400.”
Calarco and Harris led the way for the Ole Miss offense in the win against Southern Miss.
Harris went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk while Calarco hit 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a home run and a walk.
The Rebels advance to 11-2 on the season and come up with a big victory against a top 25 opponent.
Ole Miss will play Purdue this weekend for a three-game series at Swayze Field. Game 1 is on Friday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m. CST on SEC Network+.
