Rebels complete sweep of Auburn, keep lofty goals in clear view
OXFORD | Saturday’s Ole Miss victory over Auburn to secure the sweep and bolster all main bullets on the resume happened on Friday. And somewhat on Thursday and then definitely in the second inning of this finale.
Sure, the Rebels didn’t blow open the 10-3 victory for their ninth straight win against Auburn in Oxford until the six-run eighth inning, and, yes, it was tied as late as the top of the seventh, but it was over. The Tigers (35-17, 13-14) just didn’t know it yet.
Will Ethridge, the best arm on the field suited for long relief, as evidenced by his 6.2 innings of one-run work and the 5.2 innings of one-run pitching he popped on LSU a couple weeks back, took the ball in the bottom of the second with the bases loaded and struck out two straight to escape the inning.
Ole Miss trailed by two runs at the time, but since Ryan Rolison and Brady Feigl took care of their games the previous two days, Ethridge was rested and ready to roll through multiple innings. It was all over but the details.
“The thing that won the game probably was coming in the second and the strikeouts,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “It was a huge opportunity to get off the field and give the offense the chance.”
And it wasn’t just over because of Ethridge. He was the catalyst, as he tied a career high with 10 strikeouts and only allowed four base runners, but Auburn’s bullpen, beaten up and battered by a couple losses and eight runs by the Rebels the day before, wasn’t holding down Ole Miss for the entirety of the game.
Cody Greenhill, who entered in the second inning also and left the mound that frame with Ole Miss leading 3-2, only gave up one run in the next 4.2 innings, dodging loud outs and using enough deception to make his fastball faster than reality. He deserved better than his outcome as the losing pitcher. It was his less effective teammates that yielded the final touches of Ole Miss’ 28-4 home record this season.
“One thing about this offense is they play all 27 outs,” Bianco said. “Even when we looked up and we only had three runs and four hits they put up runs late and were relentless.”
The Rebels are 39-13, 16-11 in the SEC and travel to SEC cellar occupant Alabama to close the regular season following a midweek trip to Arkansas State. Ole Miss, squarely in the top-eight seed chase, is 9-3 against teams in the top 25 of the RPI. Florida, the prohibitive favorite for the top overall seed and SEC champion, is the only comparable team in that metric, sitting at 13-5.
James McArthur lasted only 1.1 innings and hasn’t made it through the fifth inning in four of his previous five starts, creating a question mark as the postseason nears. That’s the lone negative from a weekend where the Rebels outscored the Tigers by 13 combined runs.
Ole Miss took the lead on a Tyler Keenan home run in the seventh and then removed the drama with six hits, including three doubles, in the eighth inning. Three different Auburn pitchers participated in the inning, and Ole Miss strengthened its 6-for-11 day with runners in scoring position.
Grae Kessinger continued his tear with two hits, two runs and two RBIs, and Ryan Olenek and Anthony Servideo, who has made the most of his chances this week, also had two hits.
The Rebels, playing in a venue that’s been more than kind this season to them, was the more explosive offense and had the best remaining bullpen gun following the first two days of suspense and spectacle.
With pressure and expectations increasing daily the rest of the way, Ole Miss thrived while Auburn heads home to deal with three days moving it from likely host to under .500 in the conference.
It was the first time in SEC play Ole Miss had won the first two games of the weekend, and it capitalized on the opportunity. There’s plenty of work remaining, but all the goals remain straight ahead. Saturday’s win did that. And Thursday and Friday made the final day possible.