Late Rally Lifts Ole Miss Past Louisiana, 5-2

A dropped fly ball allowed the tie breaking run to score, and Ole Miss rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and the Rebels went on to defeat Louisiana 5-2 to even their best of three Super Regional series with the Ragin' Cajuns at one game apiece.

The third and decisive game will be played at 6:00 Monday night at M. L. "Tigue" Moore Field.  The winnner advances to the College World Series, where they will face either Maryland or Virginia next Sunday night at 7:00pm.

The crowd of 4,294 was treated to a pitchers duel between left hander Christian Trent and the Cajuns' Carson Baranik that wasn't decided until late.

Auston Bousfield led off the decisive eighth inning with a single off Baranik.  Reliever Ryan Wilson walked Austin Anderson on a 3-2 pitch to put runners at first and second.  Will Allen then lifted a fly ball to center field that Seth Harrison dropped, allowing Bousfield to score.   After Sikes Orvis singled.to load the bases,  pinch hitter Colby Bortles stroked a two run single up the middle for the game's final margin.

Reliever Aaron Greenwood, who allowed the tying run to score in the top of the inning, got the win, while Baranik (11-2) was the hard luck loser.

Ole Miss (45-19) got on the board in the first inning when Baranik walked Anderson with two outs.  Allen then sliced a double down the right field line to score Anderson with the game's first run.  Ole Miss threatened again in the second when Preston Overbey and Errol Robinson got back to back singles with one out.  But Baranik got Braxton Lee to hit into a double play to end the threat.

Ole Miss didn't get another hit until Overbey's two out solo homer in the seventh gave Ole Miss a 2-1 lead.

Rebels' starter Christian Trent handcuffed the Cajuns throughout his seven inning stint, allowing just four hits and one unearned run.  Trent walked two and struck out seven and kept the Cajuns off balance all night.  The Cajuns failed to get the lead man on base off Trent after the first inning.

Baranik matched Trent on the mound, not allowing the lead man to reach base until the eighth.

The Cajuns tied the game in the fourth inning when Harrison reached with two outs on an error by Overbey.  Dylan Butler then lined one down the left field line.  The throw to the plate was in time to beat Harrison, but Allen failed to hold on to the ball after the tag, which allowed the Cajuns (58-9) to tie the game at one.

After Overbey's homer gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead, the Cajuns bounced back against Greenwood in the eighth.  Michael Strentz led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Ryan Leonards.  After Jace Conrad struck out, Blake Trahan singled to right for his third hit of the game, scoring Strentz with the tying run.

Tomorrow's decisive game will be broadcast on 96.5 KPEL FM beginning at 5:35 pm and will be televised on ESPN2.