ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 2 Ole Miss (10-1) scored seven unanswered runs to claim the series of UCF Baseball (8-3) on Sunday afternoon, 9-1. Hunter Patteson was charged with the loss, working 3.2 innings, allowing four runs and striking out four.
Ole Miss opened the scoring the second on an RBI double and a ground out back to the pitcher. The Rebels lead 2-0, before Cole Russo scampered home to cut the Ole Miss lead to 2-1. The Rebels would go on to score the next seven runs to extend their lead to 9-1.
Ruddy Gomez pitched two scoreless innings for the Knights, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in his first relief appearance of the season. Alex Freeland finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.
UCF pitchers struck out 11 Rebel batters on the day, the second consecutive time posting 10+ strikeouts against the No. 2 Rebels. The Knights will open a five-game week against Bethune-Cookman in Daytona on Tuesday.
SCORING MOMENTS
TOP 2nd | OLE MISS 2 – UCF 0 | Rebels take a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.
BOTTOM 2nd | OLE MISS 2 – UCF 1 | Cole Russo scores on a wild pitch.
TOP 4th | OLE MISS 4 – UCF 1 | Ole Miss scores two more runs to extend the lead.
TOP 5th | OLE MISS 6 – UCF 1 | The Rebels tack on two more runs in the fifth to push the score to 6-1.
TOP 9th | OLE MISS 9 – UCF 1 | Ole Miss scored three more runs in the top of the ninth to cap off the scoring.
GAME NOTES
- UCF pitchers struck out 11 Rebels on Saturday afternoon at John Euliano Park.
- Alex Freeland finished the day 2-for-3, the only Knight with multiple hits.
- Nick Romano singled and walked on Sunday to increase his streak reaching base to all 11 games this season.
- Gephry Pena had his reached base streak come to an end on Sunday.
UP NEXT
UCF baseball will open a five-game week on Tuesday night, traveling to Bethune-Cookman for the first midweek. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Daytona Beach.