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By Billy Watkins
Photos by Evan Farrell
Ole Miss’ unbeaten run in the postseason was snapped Friday night in Omaha.
North Carolina, limited to just five hits, defeated the Rebels 6-2 in the opening-round of the College World Series.
Now the road gets much tougher for Mike Bianco’s team. which will play an elimination game Sunday at 1 p.m. against Troy University.
If there is a silver lining for the Rebels to grab on to, it is this: Starting pitchers Hunter Elliott and Cade Townsend should be rested and ready to try and plow through the loser’s bracket. But it will require more offense than Ole Miss displayed against the Tar Heels — eight hits, three walks, 11 strikeouts. Four players fanned multiple times.
Ole Miss led 1-0 entering the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a third-inning double by Dom Decker to score Brayden Randle, who also doubled.
North Carolina managed to tie it in the sixth. The Rebels took a 2-1 lead in the seventh on a double by Decker and an RBI single by Judd Utermark.
North Carolina answered with two in the bottom of the seventh, then three more in the eighth on a home run by star catcher Colin Hynek off All-American reliever Walker Hooks.
Starting pitcher Taylor Rabe did his part, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing just one run and two hits while striking out seven.
Hooks and Hudson Calhoun surrendered a combined five runs in 2.1 innings pitched. Calhoun was tagged with the loss.
North Carolina starter Jason DeCaro, 12-2, scattered five hits over 6.2 innings Reliever Caden Glauber closed it out with 2.1 scoreless innings.
DeCaro threw a two-hit shutout in last weekend’s Super Regional to beat Southern Cal.
“Obviously, it was disappointing for us not to finish,” Bianco said postgame. “That doesn’t happen to us much. But credit a really good North Carolina team.
“I thought DeCaro was tremendous tonight. Glauber, the reliever, was just as good. And we knew that going in.
“I thought Taylor pitched his guts (out) and Judd had a big hit. We just came up a little short. It happens. Disappointing, frustrating for us, but North Carolina did more to win it than we did.”
Rabe, who threw 108 pitches, called his outing “all right” and was frustrated with the four walks he allowed.
“They did a good job of getting me deep into counts and fouling off two-strike pitches,” Rabe said. “That’s kind of what they do.”
“We have to get more hits,” Utermark said. He later added: “Our journey isn’t over.”
When asked how his team can manage a trip through the loser’s bracket, Bianco said: “We put ourselves in a difficult situation. When you lose in the College World Series, it’s hard, it’s emotional. But as Judd and Taylor said, we’re still in it. You’ve got 24 hours to sort of reset, get a good practice in tomorrow and then another 24 hours to come out and play better baseball.That’s what the plan is. That’s how you flip the script.”
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