Ole Miss beat Southern Miss 5-0 Sunday in game two of a Super Regional to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2014. It will be the Rebels’ 6th appearance in Omaha in June. The host Golden Eagles (47-19), who won the Hattiesburg Regional last weekend, didn’t score a run in two games against Ole Miss.
The Rebels (37-22) won game one 10-0 on Saturday. In the Sunday contest, freshman All-American Hunter Elliott was sensational, pitching seven and a third innings with 10 strikeouts and only three hits. He faced only 25 batters and in one stretch of the contest retired 16 straight.
In the 8th inning with his team leading 4-0, Elliott gave up a single to Slade Wilks. And after one out, Gabe Montenegro singled. At that point, Elliot’s superb day was done. Josh Mallitz came in and took care of business, but it got a bit shaky for a few moments. Golden Eagle Reece Ewing walked to load the bases with two outs, but Carson Paetow flew out to shortstop Peyton Chatagnier, and there was no damage. At that point, Ole Miss had three outs to go. Mallitz finished the game and got those three outs in the top of the ninth.
The Rebels had scored three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead they never relinquished. A Jacob Gonzalez RBI single scored Calvin Harris who had reached on a single. Justin Bench, who got on with a double, later scored on a passed ball from USM starter Tanner Hall. Gonzalez scored on a single by Kevin Graham. Hayden Dunhurst led off the sixth with a base hit and later scored on a Bench single. That made the score 4-0, and things were about to get interesting in the top of the eighth.
But that’s when Mallitz came in to finish things up for Elliott. Then in the bottom of the eighth, T.J. McCants, who had not played recently due to injury, sent one out of the yard for late-inning insurance for the Rebels. Further information on the Rebels’ trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, will be posted to OleMissSports.com when available.
Ole Miss head baseball coach Mike Bianco, pitcher Hunter Elliot, and 3B Justin Bench all talked about the win after the game. Video is courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.