Official Box Score
OXFORD, Miss. -- For the second time this season, South Alabama dropped an extra-inning game on a walk-off home run as Sean Stuyverson hit a one-out, 1-0 pitch over the right field fence to lift Ole Miss to a 6-5, 10-inning win Tuesday night at Oxford-University Stadium. The Jaguars lost in similar fashion in the bottom of the 11th inning at Mississippi State on March 26.
The Rebels (21-11) had tied the game in the ninth with a run off Miles Ethridge, who did not surrender a hit in 2.1 innings. However, one of his two walks was issued to pinch hitter Cody Overbeck to start the rally. A sacrifice set up Logan Powers' run-scoring single off Eric Gonzalez to even the game at 5.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first after three singles over the mound, but South Alabama got to Rebel starter Nathan Baker in the third. After the first eight batters had been set down, Jake Overstreet singled to left and stole second. After Ray Kruml walked, Clint Toomey singled to right. A play at the plate loomed, but the ball escaped the glove of catcher Brett Basham on a sweeping tag attempt, allowing Overstreet and Kruml to score. After David Doss reached on an error that brought Toomey home, Ryne Jernigan hit his team-high 10th home run of the season to put South Alabama up 5-1.
Mississippi got a run back in its half of the third when Fuller Smith hit a solo home run. But the next batter hit a hard line drive off the leg of Jaguar starter Lance Baxter, forcing him out of the game after the side was retired.
The Rebels further cut into the lead with a run in the fourth. Reliever Michael Logan allowed the first two runners to single, putting runners at the corners. After two outs, Ole Miss executed a double steal attempt that made the score 5-3.
Another single run in the sixth cut the lead to 5-4. Tim Ferguson doubled to right center with two outs to drive home Zach Miller, who led off with a single.
"This is a tough loss and I know our guys are hurting right now," Head Coach Steve Kittrell said. "Ole Miss is a good ball club and they are coming off a sweep of Vanderbilt. We just needed to execute a couple more times and get one more break to pull this one out. Now we have to come back tomorrow and look for a split."
Blake Bryan (0-1) took the loss in just his second appearance of the season, while Scott Bittle improved to 3-1 by retiring all three jaguars in the top of the 10th.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. Jaguar nation subscribers can watch the game as part of the OleMissSport.tv package. The pregame show on WNSP Radio (105.5 FM) begins at 6 p.m.
