MONROE, La. -- ULM
(8-9) scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, but No. 6 Ole Miss (18-1)
tallied eight of the final nine runs Wednesday night to claim a 8-3 victory at
Warhawk Field.
The Warhawks got going early as they put a pair of
runners in scoring position in the bottom of the first inning. Brandon Alexander drew a leadoff walk and
Judd Edwards followed with a double off of the base of the wall in right
field. Alexander scored the game's first
run on a RBI groundout by Justin Stawychny.
ULM had runners on the corners with two outs and thanks to a wild pitch
by starter Brady Bramlett, Edwards was able to score and push the ULM lead to
2-0.
Ole Miss responded with a pair of runs in the top of the
second inning. With runners standing on
second and third and no outs, Sikes Orvis delivered a two-RBI single up the
middle to even the contest at two-all.
The Rebels took the lead, one they would not relinquish,
with a single run in the next frame.
With one out and Stuart Turner standing on first, Andrew Mistone drove
in Turner with a RBI double to the gap in right center as Ole Miss took a 3-2
lead. Mistone was thrown out on the play
trying to stretch his hit into a triple.
In the top of the fifth, Ole Miss pushed across an
unearned run to increase the lead to two runs at 4-2.
ULM tallied its final run of the contest in the home half
of the sixth inning as Logan Fiasco drove in Chris Dudley with a sacrifice bunt
that also allowed Kodie Tidwell to advance 90 feet.
The Warhawks had the tying run at third base in the
bottom of the seventh inning with just one out, but a foul out and a ground out
ended the Warhawk threat as the Rebels maintained the 4-2 advantage.
Ole Miss tacked on three runs in the eighth and a single
run in the ninth to set the final tally at 8-3.
ULM starter Jared Dye (1-2) was tagged with the loss
after allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings of
work. During the junior's outing, he
walked two and struck out two.
Edwards and Dudley led the Warhawks at the plate as they
combined for five hits while each crossed home plate once.
Rebel starter Brady Bramlett (3-0) picked up the win
after allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and nine strikeouts Wednesday
night. Ole Miss' four-hole through seven-hole
hitters (Stuart Turner, Andrew Mistone, Sike Orvis and Will Allen) combined for
nine hits, five runs and four RBI.
ULM will return to the diamond this weekend as it
opens Sun Belt Conference play at UL-Lafayette.
The three game series begins Friday night at 6 p.m., followed by a 2
p.m. start Saturday and a 1 p.m. start Sunday.
