Joshua ClaytonThe Ole Miss baseball team survived a win-or-go home game against Texas A&M on Thursday morning, winning 1-0.
Freshman lefty Doug Nikhazy has been an anchor for the Ole Miss pitching staff and his outing in the elimination game stood toe-to-toe with eight innings of no-hit baseball from Aggie ace John Doxakis.
The morning game was mostly uneventful on the scoreboard as Doxakis and Nikhazy went back and forth with scoreless innings. Both teams only registered one hit through three.
The Texas A&M bats did start to show life in the fourth with back-to-back hits, but Nikhazy got out of the inning with runners at the corners with one out. Nikhazy only allowed three hits in his 8.0 innings of work.
The Aggie pitchers had been dealing all week as Doxakis had a no-hitter going through the eighth inning a day after Chris Weber went 7.1 innings without allowing a hit in a loss to Georgia. The junior left-hander had the Rebels lineup’s number, finishing with 10 strikeouts and only four walks in 8.0 innings pitched.
The Rebels missed a major opportunity, something that has become a habit recently, in the top of the eighth. Ryan Olenek walked to first and stole second with no outs, but Cooper Johnson, Anthony Servideo and Jacob Adams struck out to leave two runners stranded.
The game pivoted when Bryce Miller came in to relieve Doxakis and immediately gave up the first hit of the game with a single for Thomas Dillard. Grae Kessinger, a .326 hitter, attempted a bunt, but the ball popped up right into the catcher’s mitt.
Dillard advanced to second on a balk from Chandler Jozwiak and Zabowski doubled down the right field line for his 44th RBI of the season to take the lead in the top of the ninth with two outs.
Parker Caracci came in for his first action of the week and finished off the Aggies in the ninth striking out Johnathan Ducoff with a runner on second for his ninth save of the year.
The Rebels will face the loser of the Arkansas-Georgia game tonight.
