Oct. 27, 2011

OXFORD, Miss. – R.J. Hively turned in a solid outing in the start, holding off the Blue team until his squad could come alive at the plate as the Red team claimed the Red-Blue World Series/Pizza Bowl with a 7-1 win on Thursday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

Hively pitched 4.0 scoreless innings, matching the start from Bobby Wahl on Wednesday afternoon as the Red squad pitchers held the Blue team to two hits in the win.

“The Red team just played better in all phases of the game, but certainly offensively,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco following the series. “Their two starters with Wahl and Hively were just huge with both pitchers going four scoreless in each game.

“R.J. has pitched terrific all fall. He’s had better command and looked more confident. Bobby has just been dominant. He had a good summer and that hasn’t stopped.”

“Today was just a really good day,” Hively said. “I made lots of good pitches in the zone and the defense was just amazing with lots of good plays behind me.”

The Red team got on the board first with a single run in the first inning. Blake Newalu singled before stealing second. He then advanced to third on a single from Alex Yarbrough. A sac fly to right from Red team manager Matt Snyder brought Newalu home and put his squad on the board.

The Blue team answered in the fifth, using a double from Sikes Orvis and a single to right from Kody Sepulveda to even things at a run each.

It was all the Red team from there as Snyder’s squad broke things open with a four run sixth inning before playing a run each in the seventh and eighth.

In the sixth, Zach Kirksey singled before moving to third on a single from Andrew Mistone. Kirksey then scored on a fielding error at third off a ball put in play by Auston Bousfield that allowed the freshman to reach and put Mistone at second. Austin Sullivan then doubled to right to drive in Mistone and Bousfield. Back-to-back wild pitches brought the fourth run home as Sullivan moved from second to third and then scored to put the Red team up 5-1.

The Red team got a single run in the seventh inning when Alex Yarbrough scored on a Taylor Hightower single. Yarbrough reached on a lead-off triple to open the inning before the Hightower hit.

The scoring ended in the eighth with the Red team scoring the final run as Sullivan crossed the plate from first on a double to center field from Casey Greene.

The series concludes the Rebels fall practice session and the team will go back to individual workouts and strength and conditioning work in preparation for the 2012 season. Ole Miss will kick off the 2012 campaign on the road with a three-game series at TCU on February 17.