Rebels overpower Auburn to open series
Ole Miss had eight extra-base hits and every offensive player reached, as the Rebels ran past Auburn to open the weekend series.
Three different Rebels hit home runs, the 2-through-6 spots in the order combined to go 11-for-23, and Ole Miss beat the Tigers, 11-7, to break a two-game losing streak and stay on pace for one of the final spots in the SEC Tournament.
Game two is Saturday at 7 p.m. Ole Miss is 24-21 and 8-14 in the SEC, while Auburn remains in the cellar at 21-23 (3-19).
Ole Miss and LSU are tied for 11th in the SEC, two games ahead of Missouri, which is currently the first team out of Hoover. LSU beat Texas A&M, 6-4, on Friday. Missouri lost, 10-2, to South Carolina.
The Rebels had two four-run innings and were 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. AU was 6-for-28 with runners on and 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Jackson Ross was 3-for-5, including a home run the second batter of the game. He was a triple shy of the cycle. Andrew Fischer and Will Furniss each hit a three-run home run. The Rebels led 5-1 after Fischer's blast in the third, and Furniss' home run extended Ole Miss to 8-4 an inning later.
Ole Miss did all that without Ethan Lege, its most productive hitter to date. Lege fractured a thumb against Mississippi and isn't on the 27-man roster this weekend.
Bianco said he's optimistic Lege will be back at some point this season but wouldn't get into specifics past this weekend. Lege tried to play with a mold on his thumb during practice on Thursday.
"He's a tough kid; he wants to play," Bianco said. "It's too soon from the injury. The hand's swollen, the thumb's still really swollen. The hope is once the swelling goes down he might be able to swing with some type of split or brace on there."
In the bottom of the third, Auburn scored three runs. Three of their first four runs were unearned. Judd Utermark had a run-scoring error in the second, and Luke Hill allowed two runs with a two-out error in the third.
Fischer, who has 16 home runs, Furniss, Hill and Utermark all had two hits. Utermark doubled twice.
Riley Maddox got the win, giving up four runs on eight hits in five innings, but only one of the runs was earned. He struck out three, walked two and threw 81 pitches, 51 strikes.
Ole Miss used five relievers. JT Quinn was the most effective, striking out three of the four batters he faced. Auburn left 14 on base.