Doug Nikhazy struck out 10 batters while allowing 3 hits, but a strong pitching effort and the long ball allowed the UCF Knights to snap a 20-game winning streak for the No. 1 Ole Miss Rebels and pull off the upset 3-2 at Swayze Field on Friday.
On the mound, Nikhazy went 6.1 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 90 pitches, both via solo home runs in the 7th inning. At the plate, Justin Bench and Hayden Dunhurst both went 2-for-4, with runs coming from a Cael Baker RBI single that scored Ben Van Cleve and a Hayden Dunhurst solo home run. On the other end, Colton Gordon gave up six hits and struck out six batters. Gordon also stranded six Rebels on base in a pitchers’ duel to open the weekend series.
Ole Miss head baseball coach Mike Bianco, along with a couple of members of the team, addressed the loss with the media following the game. Video is courtesy of Ole Miss Sports Productions.