OXFORD, Miss. – Jeremy Travis went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a home run as the Rebels used the long ball to keep pace with the Commodores before shifting to small ball as No. 23 Ole Miss (18-11, 5-5 SEC) rallied to claim a 7-6 win over No. 6 Vanderbilt (19-8, 5-4 SEC) in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.

Travis led the offense as he went notched three hits with his only out coming on a check swing foul fly to first in the seventh. Matt Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, while Zach Miller went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Scott Bittle (2-1) picked up the win for the Rebels as he worked the final 5.0 innings as he held the Commodores scoreless and allowed only one hit with three walks and nine strikeouts. The junior entered the game in the fifth with two runners on and no outs.

Mike Minor (3-2) suffered the loss for Vanderbilt as he allowed all seven runs on nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Only six of the runs were earned in his 6.2 innings on the mound.

Vanderbilt took the early lead on the Rebels as Dominic de la Osa hit a solo shot to left field in the first inning to take the lead. Pedro Alvarez the hit a solo shot to left field in the next at bat to push the Commodores out to a 2-0 lead.

Ole Miss rallied in the second when Jeremy Travis came up with a two-RBI double to right center to score Michael Guerrero and Zach Miller. Guerrero reached on a fielding error on a grounder to short before advancing to second on a single up the middle from Miller.

Vanderbilt responded in the top of the third, loading the bases with one out before Alex Feinberg was hit by a pitch to push a run across and give the Commodores the lead again. Feinberg had to come out of the game due to injury on the play and Brian Harris replaced him as a pinch runner. Lynn got the Rebels out of the jam with no more damage as he notched a strikeout and a groundout from the next two batters.

Matt Smith gave the Rebels the lead in the third when he hit a two-run shot to straight away center that scored Cody Overbeck on the play. Overbeck was hit by pitch with two outs on the board before moving to second on a balk.

The Commodores snagged the lead again in the top of the fourth when David Macias hit a two-run shot to right field to put Vanderbilt back on top 5-4.

Vanderbilt continued to build on the lead in the fifth as Flaherty scored from second on a single through the left side from Harris. Harris moved to second on the play, advancing on a throwing error to the plate from left field that sailed wide at the plate. Ole Miss then went to the bullpen, bringing Bittle in to replace Lynn. Bittle then notched a strikeout before Basham picked Harris off second and Bittle struck out the next batter to get the Rebels out of the inning.

The Rebels answered in the sixth as back-to-back doubles from Miller and Travis to open the inning cut the lead to one at 6-5. Ferguson then laid down a bunt single down the third base line that scored Travis from second and allowed Ferguson to advance to second on the play. A sac bunt from Basham moved Ferguson to third before another sac bunt from Fuller Smith pushed Ferguson across the plate and gave Ole Miss the 7-6 lead.

Bittle would hold the Commodores off the scoreboard the rest of the way as Ole Miss would pick up the win in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.