Rebels use upperclassmen performances to beat No. 10 East Carolina

OXFORD | The freshmen had some moments, but veteran big hits and mound work pushed Ole Miss to a 5-4 opening-day victory over No. 10 East Carolina on Friday night.

In front of announced crowd of 12,117, the largest in school history, the Rebels took the first game of the weekend against former assistant Cliff Godwin. Game two is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Ole Miss' James McArthur will face ECU left-hander Jacob Wolfe.

David Parkinson picked up the win in his debut as the staff ace got ahead often and stayed locked in amid occasional trouble. He gave up a solo home run to Dawanya Williams-Sutton on an 11-pitch at-bat to start the game but settled in to work seven innings on 99 pitches, 75 strikes.

Parkinson allowed three runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk. He gave up three straight doubles in the fourth inning, as the Pirates scored two runs, but he only faced one over the minimum the final three innings of his outing.

"David gives up the home run in the first and when you do that you don't know on a Friday night, but he shows why he is the Friday night guy," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. "He is able to make some pitches and get out of it. He gets strikeouts, runs off the field and takes control of the game. I'm really proud of him, and they make it hard on you."

Will Stokes got a pop out to finish the game and complete a six-out save. Stokes gave up a solo home run to Spencer Brickhouse with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning but an eighth inning insurance run saved the Rebels from more baseball.

Stokes allowed the one hit with three strikeouts in his two innings. He threw 17-of-22 pitches for strikes. He had seven saves in 2016, sharing closer duties with Wyatt Short.

Junior college transfer Chase Cockrell went 2-for-4 including the RBI single in the eighth. He also scored a run in the game.

Ole Miss beat a top-10 opponent despite team captains Colby Bortles and Tate Blackman going a combined 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. That's a good stat, as the rest of the lineup was pretty composed and played an efficient offensive game.

Will Golsan hit an early home run to tie the game at one at the time -- his fourth career home run. He scored a run and also had a walk from the five-hole in the lineup.

Ryan Olenek went 3-for-4 including a double in the first inning that led to the first run of the season. He stole third base and then went home on an errant throw from the catcher. He became a fan favorite as a freshman with his energy and peskiness. That continued on Friday.

Thomas Dillard struggled with line drives in left field, but that'll improve with time. He didn't let it affect his offense, hitting a double to score Golsan in the fourth inning. It was a confident swing, as he turned on a fastball. From a mentality standpoint, it was a positive sign.

Cole Zabowski went 1-for-3 and also had a loud out that was caught at the warning track. The swings were good, but he was more noticeable defensively. He made a snag on a somewhat errant throw from Grae Kessinger look easy and was patient with his feet when Blackman bobbled a grounder in the same inning.

ECU starter Evan Kruczynski is an innings-eater, but Ole Miss ran him after only seven innings and 85 pitches. He gave up three runs and three extra base hits. The senior lefty threw 116 innings last season, so the Rebels did a nice job to piece some things together. He only had one loss in 2016.

Ole Miss was 3-of-9 with runners on and 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. ECU was 4-for-11 with two outs. The Rebels were just 1-for-9 in that category.

Bianco on pitching: "All the pitching was terrific. Their reliever and our reliever and against two good offenses. They are terrific like you knew a Cliff Godwin team would be, especially with two strikes. They make it so hard. They got two-strike base hits. All their damage was with two strikes."

Bianco on the veterans: "What a huge at-bat by Olenek in the first to get on base and show the confidence to steal immediately. Then with Golsan in the second with the home run, getting a good pitch and hitting it over the bullpen. I thought they swung it well. Not a lot of offense, but the offense we got I was proud of them."

Bianco on the young players: "They ran out there like they belonged and that's important."

Bianco on Parkinson in the seventh inning: "I thought he was terrific and strong. I thought the fastball had more life than we've seen in scrimmages. It stayed there. He was still touching 90s late in the game. And he mixed four pitches."

Bianco on the eighth-inning RBI: "It was the game winner now. Anytime you can extend it is huge. Chase is a guy. He's there because you think he can drive in runs. The ball just jumps off his bat with power. He's going to swing and miss. That's part of it with those guys and what they do, but the good part is they will drive in runs."

Bianco on Zabowski's defense: "I think he's a really good defense first baseman and continues to get better... To watch him on some of the throws stretch and elevate and catch balls. It's going to make you a better defensive team."