OXFORD | Ole Miss couldn’t muster much offensively on Sunday, as Florida put the Rebels on the precipice of matching a league mark that hasn’t happened in nearly 90 years.
The Gators swept Ole Miss with a 7-4 win that dropped the Rebels to 0-6 in the SEC for the first time since 1996.
The 1996 team lost its first six league games — as well as a game in New Orleans to LSU that didn’t count in the standings — and were 1-17 at one point before finishing 7-23 in the SEC.
“You have to stick together and continue to fight,” Mike Bianco said. “It stinks when you get to this point where you fell into that funk and aren’t playing well.
“It happens where it’s in a lot of different phases… This is a time where it’s easy to point fingers and who’s to blame, but we all wear the same uniform and all have to be better.”
Ole Miss faces Southern Miss Tuesday in Pearl before a three-game series at Texas A&M. The Rebels haven’t lost their first seven SEC games in a season since finishing 0-10 in the conference in 1935.
The Rebels had one hit through seven innings and were 2-for-15 with runners on base and 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Ole Miss starter Xavier Rivas gave up five hits and four runs — only two earned — in 5.2 innings. He struck out four and walked two over 98 pitches, 58 strikes. Rivas gave up two solo home runs, while two errors contributed to the other two runs.
“I thought he was really good and gave us an opportunity,” Bianco said. “He pitched better than the scoreboard showed. We should have made a couple of those plays. It would be a different story for him. I’m proud of him.”
Rivas has gone at least five innings in three straight starts, giving up six total earned runs in those 16.2 innings.
Jacob Gonzalez, Calvin Harris, Ethan Groff and Anthony Calarco had the four Ole Miss hits.
Gonzalez hit a two-out, two-run double in the fourth after Florida loaded the bases with three walks. Harris and Calarco had hits in the eighth inning, as Ole Miss scored two runs on a wild pitch and a double play.
Ole Miss is 5-13 in its last 18 home SEC games. Three of those came in sweep of Missouri. Tennessee, Alabama and Florida have swept the Rebels during that stretch.
“They’re trying and showing up and competing, but we still have to continue to go,” Bianco said. “It’s one thing to show up but you have to keep fighting. Someone has to make the pitch or get the big hit. Be the star at least that day.
“We aren’t getting enough of that. We’re getting close but not enough to win one of these games.”
Mitch Murrell gave up two runs in 1.1 relief innings, and Mason Nichols allowed a run in an inning.
Brayden Jones threw a scoreless ninth inning.
