OXFORD | Anthony Servideo achieved the trifecta of handling arguably the best left-hander in the country on Friday, reaching three times against Louisville ace Reid Detmers.

Louisville put up four runs in the sixth to spoil Swayze Field’s opening day, and more on that momentarily, but Servideo’s at-bats were the pivotal long-range part of the 7-2 Ole Miss loss, as the Rebs sort out how to replace 70 percent of its hits from 2019.

Servideo is the leading returner, as he hit .287 and played all over the field. But, in this 2020 edition, he’s in the leadoff spot and needs to produce in a lineup that featured five newcomers, three true freshmen and only two regulars off last year’s normal order.

“Great night (for Servideo) and one of the few guys offensively who had a good night,” Mike Bianco said. “It’s how you draw it up left on left against one of the best pitchers in the country.”

Detmers struck out 167 in 113.1 innings a year ago and struck out seven consecutive Rebels at one point on Friday, including three straight when Ole Miss had two on with no outs in the opening inning. But Sevideo solved him throughout the night. He laced a down-and-away fastball into the opposite field gap for a double to start the game but was stranded at third with strikeouts of Tyler Keenan, Cael Baker and Justin Bench.

Two innings later, Servideo worked a full count one-out walk, laying off two Detmer trademark curveballs that are typically knee-buckling against left-handed hitters. He didn’t advance into scoring position, but it was the type of at-bat that showcased his night of selective aggression against the No. 2 staring pitcher nationally, per D1Baseball.com. It’s a welcomed sign considering the Rebels face the top four and seven of the top 10 pitchers on that list this season.

“You have to see his breaking ball up,” Servideo said. “If you chase it down, you won’t hit it. See it above the belt and put a swing on it.”

Ben Van Cleve doubled to start the fifth, and Servideo drove in the first run of the season with a sharp single into right, this one on a hanging breaking ball that stayed elevated. Detmers’ misses are mostly up, and Servideo waited and pulled it in front of the outfielder.

The other main returners in the lineup — Tyler Keenan and Tim Elko were 0-for-7 with three strikeouts. Justin Bench, who missed a chunk of last season with a broken hand, had two hits including a two-out RBI single that brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth inning. Elko grounded out to end the frame.

“We’re disappointed in the at-bats we had with runners on,” Bianco said. “(Detmers) got better and you could see that competitiveness.”

Kevin Graham, who hit 10 home runs to garner Freshman All-America honors in 2019, didn’t start but should play against right-hander Bobby Miller on Saturday. Graham last season against lefties was 1-for-19 with a .143 on-base percentage and a .105 slugging percentage.

Doug Nikhazy — in his first outing as the ace of the staff — struck out two to escape a bases-loaded, 30-pitch first inning. He faced the minimum and retired 12 of 13 over the next four innings before Louisville squared him up for four hits, including two doubles, around just one out. All four runs scored and were charged to him during the pivotal inning. A hanging breaking ball double ended his day at 88 pitches.

“The inning just explodes and it was the difference in the game,” Bianco said. “Regardless of the score they just played better than us. They made pitches and plays when they needed them. We didn’t do that. We wasted opportunities and couldn’t make pitches to get off the field.”

Nikhazy struck out five, walked three and threw 54 strikes.

The sophomore showed the toughness that put him in the rotation as a freshman to steady his outing and pitch count following that eventful first inning. The poise and composure were there, and a couple pitches up spoiled his outing. Two of the four hits in the inning were elevated, and one was on a set-up pitch that Nikhazy left over the plate.

Taylor Broadway gave up three runs on six hits in 3.1 innings. Pegged as the early closer, Broadway, per Bianco, is likely done for the weekend.