Ole Miss entered this weekend’s series as the only undefeated team in SEC play. Now, after three games against the Gators, the Rebels head back to Oxford with their first series loss of the season. Florida edged them out in Game 1 with strong pitching, and though it slipped up in Game 2, allowing six runs in the eighth and ninth innings, it held on in a wild Game 3 on Saturday.
Hunter Barco took the mound, and he started the game playing quite well. He allowed just three hits from Ole Miss in the first four innings, and in the meantime, Florida’s offense went to work.
Jacob Young reached base on a walk to lead off the bottom of the first, and after a single from Nate Hickey advanced him to third, he managed to score the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly from Kirby McMullen. After a quiet second inning, Young led off the bottom of the third with a triple, and he scored his second run of the game off a sac-fly on the next at-bat, this time from Hickey.
Ole Miss starter Derek Diamond gave up his third run of the game in the fourth inning, when Jordan Carrion crushed a solo homer to left field. Barco, meanwhile, didn’t face any significant threats until the fifth inning. He gave up two singles and a hit-by-pitch to lead it off, and the bases were loaded with no outs and the tying run at the plate. Peyton Chatagnier managed to bring a run home, but at considerable cost to the Rebels, as he hit into a double play. Jacob Gonzalez hit an RBI single before the Gators ended the threat, but they maintained a one-run lead.
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Barco only faced one more batter, who he walked at the top of the sixth, ending his day. He allowed six hits but just two earned runs in five innings, enough to earn his fourth win of the season. Things just got worse for Diamond at the bottom of the frame, though. He gave up another single to Young, and a two-run homer on the next at-bat from Hickey finally ended the embattled Rebels starter’s day. Diamond took the loss, and his record on the year moves to 3-3.
Drew McDaniel entered the game, and though he forced a groundout to start, he followed it up with a triple to Sterlin Thompson, who reached home on a subsequent single from Jordan Butler. Things were looking good for the Gators, who had a 6-2 lead.
But Ole Miss got a run back in the sixth off a throwing error, and in the seventh, Trey Van Der Weide allowed a two-RBI triple to cut the lead to one. After walking his next batter, he was pulled for Jordan Carrion, who got out of the seventh with the lead intact. Carrion retired the Rebels lineup in order in the eighth, and he became the first Florida player to throw a strikeout and hit a home run in the same game since Austin Langworthy in 2017.
Ole Miss threatened in the ninth, though, as they put two on against Carrion. He was pulled for Ryan Cabarcas, who managed two fly-outs to earn his second save of the season.
With the Mississippi series now in the rearview, Florida will look to continue its winning ways next weekend at Tennessee. First, though, are a pair of midweek matchups. First up is Stetson on Tuesday night in Gainesville, who the Gators beat 10-7 on March 10. First pitch for that game is set for 6 p.m. EDT at Florida Ballpark.
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