OXFORD, MISS. –
Connor Carter's solo shot in the opening frame gave Charleston Southern its first lead in the three-game set, but 5
th-ranked Ole Miss took control with an eight-run fifth to finish the opening series sweep of the Bucs. Ole Miss ended things in the bottom of the eighth as Kemp Alderman came across to score to make it a 12-2 final.
Charleston Southern (0-3) scored first in the contest, as Carter took a fastball over the right field fence in the second at-bat of the evening, but that would be it for the Bucs until the sixth inning.
Ole Miss (3-0) quickly took the lead back in the home-half of the opening frame, answering Carter's solo shot with a two-run home run from Kevin Graham after a two-out walk extended the inning for the Rebels.
The Rebels would add one more in the fourth, as Ben Van Cleve was awarded an RBI with a groundout to short, scoring Justin Bench. The fifth frame would prove to be the difference, as Ole Miss took full control of the game with eight runs. Graham got things started again for the Rebels, kicking the scoring off with a single up the middle, scoring Jacob Gonzalez and Alderman.
TJ McCants would double later in the sixth to score Bench, Calvin Harris followed that up with an RBI-single before Alderman capped off the frame with a three-run shot to dead center.
Charleston Southern scratched across one more run in the sixth, as
Houston Parker entered in the frame and picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing Carter across to score for this second run of the contest.
Ole Miss would close things out in its half of the eighth, as Loposer found real estate in shallow center with the bases loaded to score Alderman and end the series finale early.
Ole Miss starter Drew McDaniel (1-0) gets credited with the win after working through three and two-thirds innings, tallying four strikeouts while chasing just two hits and surrendering one earned.
Evan Truitt (0-1) looked good in his two and two-thirds innings of work, but was charged with the loss for Charleston Southern, as the CSU surrendered with two earned across three hits, a walk and a strikeout.
