RebelGrove.com's College World Series coverage is brought to you by the Clearwater Group.
The Clearwater Group is a Mississippi based public affairs firm focused on lobbying, communications and grassroots advocacy issues. They represent a wide range of national and state businesses and associations who are involved in healthcare, gaming, engineering, education, telecommunications, finance and a number of other industries interfacing with government.
The firm has a proven track record of guiding successful client issues involving the state legislature, state agencies as well as local governmental entities. If your business has legislative issues or projects being considered by state officials, partner with the Clearwater Group to ensure you have a strategic plan to put you on a pathway to success.
OMAHA | It was a curve ball that didn’t really break, but it was off the plate — way off the plate — and the kind of spot that at times Tim Elko offers at unsuccessfully.
Throwing the Ole Miss team captain a fastball anywhere in the county is problematic, so Evan Taylor looped in a curve ball that more thought about dropping than actually doing so. Instead, it sat within Elko’s reach somehow, and it rocketed as soon as the Easton bat made contact.
Arkansas left fielder Zack Gregory gave no more than a cursory look and effort, and the ball finished up 416 feet from home plate, the farthest home run hit at Charles Schwab Park in this College World Series.
It was a two-run shot and the crowning blow of an early-inning onslaught, as Ole Miss cruised past Arkansas, 13-5, to move to the bracket final on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Rebels face the winner of the Razorbacks and Auburn and are one win from the national championship series that begins Saturday. If Ole Miss loses on Wednesday, an if-necessary game would be on Thursday.
Ole Miss is 7-0 in the NCAA Tournament and has outscored opponents 64-17 to this point. The Rebels are 15-3 in their last 18 games. Fifteen of the last 22 College World Series finals participants started 2-0. It's the Rebels' second 2-0 Omaha start all-time. The 1956 team went 2-2 after beating New Hampshire and Bradley to begin the tournament.
“Baseball is a big momentum game and we’re building a lot of momentum right now,” Justin Bench said. “Getting hot is a true thing in baseball.”
Elko’s home run, his 23rd of the season which extends his school record, was part of a two-run inning. Ole Miss had three of those to start the game, and then a four-run fifth that removed most of the doubt from what was billed as a bedlam atmosphere between the two fanbases that traveled the best on this side of the bracket.
Instead it was the Rebels only who had their way with things following the second inning. When Calvin Harris hit a fifth-inning two-run home run followed RBI singles from Jacob Gonzalez and Kevin Graham, Arkansas went from a by-committee approach of top pitchers to a plan focused on preservation for future games.
“That’s when the game pretty much turned,” Dave Van Horn said. “We just didn’t slow them down.”
The Rebels are 10-for-26 with runners in scoring position in the postseason.
While the offense was barreling up the Hogs, Hunter Elliott added another layer to his special postseason and All-America freshman season. Arkansas squared him a couple times early, and two defensive miscues led to three early runs for the Razorbacks.
Graham lost a ball in the sun in the opening inning allowing a run to score, and a Gonzalez error in the second was the cause of two unearned runs.
Following that frame, Elliott put up four straight zeros and left to a standing ovation in the seventh inning. In all, the Tupelo, Mississippi, native allowed six hits, three runs — one earned on Graham’s lost fly ball being ruled a double — and four strikeouts and two walks.
“We were terrific tonight, really played well,” Mike Bianco said. “Hunter was just like he’s pitched the second half of the season. We didn’t play great defense early. He shouldn’t have given up a run today.”
He didn’t have his best stuff and got behind in some counts. The defensive issues led to more pitches early than would have otherwise happened, and Arkansas had the momentum at one point in the second frame.
But all of that still didn’t lead to anything to hurt the Rebels. Composure has become his trademark. It’s Elliott’s second quality start against Arkansas this season. Ole Miss has won six straight Elliott starts. He’s given up two earned runs in 18.2 innings this postseason.
Harris had three hits and four RBIs, and Bench had four hits and scored four times.
Arkansas walked 10 batters among the seven pitchers used on Monday.
"I thought they were awfully good when we played them but a pitch away or hit away from wining the series against us,”Van Horn said. “They are pitching really well right now. They have a true ace and another ace. He’s been getting after I down the stretch They are veteran and confident and hard to beat.”
