Rebels use pitching and a late-inning onslaught to clinch series
OXFORD | The backdoor slider landed, home plate umpire Ryan Broussard initiated his punch out call, and Josh Mallitz sauntered off the mound, gesturing toward his waiting teammates after the latest tightrope act.
South Carolina, minutes earlier, had two on with no outs after a ground ball against the shift and a walk set the situation up. Then, Mallitz went to work with a strike out, a fly out and that full-count freeze job that ended the inning.
Ole Miss had its one-run lead intact, and it added eight more the next half inning to blow it open and clinch the series with an 12-3 win over South Carolina (14-5, 0-2). The Rebels (15-5, 2-0) go for the sweep at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“When people talk about experience, that’s what they talk about,” Bianco said. “Mallitz has been in the fire… He’s always the same guy and handles it. He always wants the ball. There aren’t many better in critical times.”
The afternoon was a bit of a palate cleanser following the 2023 disaster. Ole Miss has 33 percent of its SEC wins from last season in two days and has won 13 of the last 14 games including nine straight. With perfect weather and an animated crowd, Ole Miss played its best baseball of the season.
“It is (a feeling of moving on),” Mallitz said. “Scratching two wins, the first two wins of the SEC is huge for us.”
Andrew Fischer, the top portal import in the offseason, hit three home runs, including a three-run shot that put an exclamation point on that eight-run buzz saw in the eighth inning. Fischer has nine home runs on the season.
Through 7.5 innings, it was a close game with Ole Miss doing the little things well. Mallitz inherited a two-on, no-outs scenario in the seventh and got a fielder’s choice and a deep fly out to end the inning.
In the sixth, Wes Mendes threw eight straight strikes to pick up the final two outs to strand two others and keep Ole Miss ahead by a single run.
Liam Doyle, making his second straight start and first SEC start struck out 10 over 5.1 innings and only walked the final hitter he faced.
Doyle threw 65 strikes out of 96 pitches and gave up three runs — the final two coming on a home run that hit the top of the fence and bounced over. Carolina, with that, briefly went ahead.
“Terrific to get an outing like that,” Bianco said. “He was dominant throughout and pretty impressive."
Doyle, in his two starts, has 18 strikeouts in 8.2 innings.
Ethan Groff and Fischer hit back-to-back home runs the next half inning to give Ole Miss the lead back, and then the flood gates in the eighth happened.
“This is why you want to be here, and the crowd was awesome,” Fischer said. “I’ve been seeing the ball well all weekend. I feel really prepared, and it’s shown this weekend for me and other guys, also.”
Treyson Hughes scored two on a single, with Drew pinch runner Markle scoring all the way from first base. Eli Berch and Groff hd RBI singles, and Fischer’s third and final home run pushed the lead to eight runs.
Ethan Lege hit a solo home run two batters later.
South Carolina is 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position during the series, and Ole Miss 5-for-8 in that category today.
Gamecock starter Dylan Eskew gave up four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. His ERA jumped more than a full run with the outing. He’d only given up 10 hits in 18.2 innings this season entering the game, including only two hits to left-handed hitters.
Ole Miss stacked the order with righties and put eight men on base through the fourth inning.
“Some analytics and watching on tape we thought the righties would have more of a chance,” Bianco said. “He’s so, so good.”
Groff and Fischer each had three hits, and Hughes and Ross had two apiece.