| Rebels Take Down Florida 6-2 Behind Pomeranz's Gem | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Sophomore left-hander Drew Pomeranz struck out nine and tossed his first complete-game of his career as No. 16 Ole Miss (27-10, 10-6 SEC) defeated No. 20 Florida (25-13, 9-7 SEC) by a score of 6-2 at McKeathan Field. Pomeranz (4-1) picked up the win as he held the Gators to only two runs on four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. Jeff Barfield (2-1) suffered the loss as he allowed four runs - three earned - on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Florida would use three more pitchers on the night, but could not catch up with the Rebel offense. Ole Miss out hit the Gators 11-to-4. “It was good to see Drew (Pomeranz) come out and bounce back after last week’s performance,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “He was really dominant tonight. His command was there from the first inning through the ninth. It was also nice to see Kyle Henson get that home run to extend the lead in the in the eighth.” Ole Miss struck first, pushing three runs across in the first inning as Matt Smith came up with a two-RBI double to score Jordan Henry and Logan Power. Henry walked before stealing second and Power walked before the Smith hit drove in both runs. Smith moved to third on a groundout from Zach Miller before Michael Hubbard came up with an RBI single to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead. Florida answered with a single run in the second when Josh Adams scored from second on a double down the right field line from Buddy Monroe. Adams walked before moving to second on a wild pitch. The Rebels got the run back in the third when Smith scored on a single up the middle from Miller. Smith reached on an error on a grounder to short before taking second on a wild pitch. He then scored on the Miller hit to give Ole Miss the 4-1 lead. Florida answered in the bottom of the fourth when Avery Barnes doubled and then scored on a single up the middle from Preston Tucker to cut the lead to two runs at 4-2. The Gators looked to continue the rally from there, as another chop single down the right field line moved Tucker to third and put men at the corners with no outs. Barnes then looked to be caught stealing, but Tucker went for home from third and was gunned down at the plate by Tim Ferguson from second to record the out. Pomeranz then struck out the next Florida batter to end the rally and keep Ole Miss up 4-2. Ole Miss pushed back up by three with a run in the fifth as Power scored on a double down the left field line from Smith. Power reached on a double of his own two batters earlier to get into scoring position for the Smith hit. Kyle Henson added to the Rebel lead in the eighth with a home run to open the inning, pushing Ole Miss out to a 6-2 lead. Smith led the Rebels at the plate as the sophomore went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Henson and Miller also posted 2-for-4 nights at the plate with each player notching an RBI. Ole Miss and Florida will play the second game of the series at 3 p.m. CDT on Saturday at McKeathan Field. |



















































