Tulane drops two games at No. 9 Ole Miss Saturday

Game 1 Box Score (PDF) | Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

OXFORD, Miss. – Tulane baseball fell 5-4 in the resumed Game 1 from Friday, and then 9-1 in Game 2 of its weekend series at No. 9 Ole Miss Saturday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

The Green Wave (3-2) and Rebels (6-0) picked up Game 1 where it left off in the bottom of the fifth inning after play was suspended due to rain Friday night. Ole Miss, which led 2-1 at that point, scored three runs in the seventh inning, and the Wave responded with three runs in the top of the eighth, but fell a run short in the 5-4 defeat.

In the second game, which followed 45 minutes after the opener ended, both teams scored in the first inning, but Ole Miss added a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and five runs in the sixth inning to go ahead 9-1.

Game 1: Ole Miss 5, Tulane 4

Senior Matt Rowland hit two home runs in Game 1, giving Tulane the 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then pulling the Green Wave within 5-4 with a two-run shot in the eighth.

After Ole Miss went ahead 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of solo home runs by Cole Zabowski and Cooper Johnson and an RBI single by Ryan Olenek, the Green Wave responded immediately with three runs in the top of the eighth.

Ty Johnson led off the eighth with a double to the wall in right center and scored on Grant Witherspoon’s double down the right field line to make it 5-2. Rowland followed with a two-run homer to left field – his third of the season – to cut it to 5-4. Trevor Jensen followed up with a single and Kody Hoese hit a one-out single, but a double play ended the inning. Sal Gozzo hit a one-out base hit to right field in the ninth, but a double play ended the game.

The starters for both teams factored into the decision on the mound in the opener, as Tulane junior Kaleb Roper (0-1) took the loss, while Ole Miss’ Ryan Rolison (2-0) earned the win in the split game. Roper went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs, both of which were scored in the first inning, on two hits with three strikeouts. His tenure in the game ended when the contest was suspended on Friday, as did Rolison’s. Rolison struck out nine and allowed a run on three hits with a pair of walks. Dallas Woolfolk earned his third save with a scoreless ninth inning for the Rebels.

Game 2: Ole Miss 9, Tulane 1

Tulane jumped out to a quick lead in the second game, as it did in the first, with a run in the top of the first inning. Ty Johnson reached on a strike-three wild pitch, went to second on a failed pickoff throwing error, and scored on Trevor Jensen’s RBI single.

After that hit, however, the Green Wave were limited to just one single for the rest of the game. Ole Miss pitching faced the minimum the rest of the way, giving up only a one-out single to Jonathon Artigues in the fifth inning.

A leadoff home run in the first by Ole Miss’ Grae Kessinger tied it, 1-1, but Tulane junior starter Ross Massey settled down to hold the Rebels to the lone run until the fourth inning when Will Golsan hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1. In the fifth, Kessinger hit an RBI double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Olenek to make the score 4-1. Massey (1-1) went 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on five hits.

The Green Wave ran into trouble in the sixth inning, using four pitchers as Ole Miss sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs to extend its lead to 9-1. Three straight singles led off the inning followed by a walk that included a wild pitch and a passed ball that plated two runs. Chase Cockrell hit an RBI single, Jacob Adams hit a sacrifice fly and Olenek hit an RBI double in the frame.

Sophomore Robert Price got the final two outs of the inning and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Redshirt junior Brandon Issa worked a scoreless eighth for Tulane.

Ole Miss starter Brady Feigl (2-0) allowed a run on two hits and struck out six in 6.0 innings to earn the win.

The series finale is at 1:30 p.m. Sunday as the Green Wave try to salvage a game against the ninth-ranked Rebels. The contest will be broadcast online by SEC Network+, which can be found on WatchESPN.com, and on the radio via 88.3 FM WRBH New Orleans and TuneIn Radio.

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