Ole Miss played its first close game of the season, coming back from a couple multi-run deficits to beat UCF, 8-7, in the first game of the weekend series in Orlando. Game two is set for 3 p.m. (CT) Saturday. Here are my thoughts from Friday's Ole Miss win that pushed the Rebels to 9-0 on the season. The eight runs are the fewest Ole Miss has scored so far on the year.
This isn't a surprise because the Ole Miss offense is expected to be relentless, but the two deficits didn't do anything to affect Ole Miss' plan. UCF led 2-0 after two innings and 6-3 after five innings, but both times Ole Miss responded quickly. The early at-bat of the game was Justin Bench's opposite-field single on a full count pitch to set the table for TJ McCants' three-run home run in the fourth inning. Ole Miss hadn't had a base runner before Kevin Graham and Bench singled and McCants sent one out of right field.
In the sixth, Peyton Chatagnier, Jacob Gonzalez and Tim Elko hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off UCF starter David Linchfield. Chatagnier's two-run home run in his next at-bat gave Ole Miss its winning total. Reagan Burford had an excellent seven-pitch walk to get on for Chatagnier. Ole Miss hit five home runs in the game and were 3-for-8 with runners on base. UCF was 6-for-21 with runners on.
Tonight was a great example of why it's so hard to pitch to this lineup. Litchfield was excellent through four innings. He used his sinker effectively and caused Ole Miss to roll over and pop up pitches, as he just hammered the strike zone with quality pitches. He threw more than 70 pitches for strikes through four innings. But then the middle of the Ole Miss order got to him the second time through the order with three straight hits. When he was left out there to face the order a third time, Ole Miss went back to back to back. The sinker hung more as Litchfield tired, and Ole Miss didn't miss it. Kevin Graham mentioned on Wednesday how the Rebels don't get frustrated if a few innings don't work out. So far they've been right in knowing the crooked numbers will come.
Ole Miss vs. Litchfield:
1st time through the order: 1-for-9, one single
2nd time through the order: 3-for-9, two singles, home run
3rd time through the order: 3-for-3, 3 home runs
Derek Diamond's night spiraled in the fifth inning. After a walk and two outs, he gave up three straight hits including a home run that put UCF up at the time. It was a hanging breaking ball that was out over the plate, but the at-bat of the inning was the walk to start things. It was an eight-pitch at-bat with four foul balls, as Diamond couldn't get anything by the hitter.
He had seven strikeouts and all but one were swinging, but they typically happen because of speed changes more than movement, though his breaking ball was the best it's looked all season. Diamond's lack of swing and miss can extend at-bats at times and leads to more walks and home runs. The fastball flattens out at times. I thought Mike Bianco did a good thing by leaving him in and seeing how Diamond responded after the double there in the fifth. He'd settled nicely and shown some good signs the two previous innings. Ole Miss needed to let him try to work out of the jam and find a gear to get out of it. Solving the rotation -- as in who should be in it -- remains the priority. In league play, go get him. But, tonight, that was the right move to collect more data moving forward. His best route is to pitch backwards which lets the fastball play up a little bit. It's a good strategy as long as he locates and keeps the breaking ball down.
Riley Maddox showed good composure tonight. He entered having thrown 39 of 48 pitches for strikes, Brian Rippee tells me, and he overcame a little bad luck and an inability to get the outside corner called or a strike. He stranded a couple runners and was effective with multiple pitches. He faced adversity and got some confidence from it. Good inning for him other than allowing an inherited runner to score.
Brandon Johnson threw 66 pitches in a three-inning save that had a little of everything. The seventh inning was very good, and he struck out the side in the ninth. And then there was the eighth inning. He walked four batters, walking in a run to cut the lead to a single run. A strikeout stranded the bases loaded, but he couldn't find the zone and the nibbling on 0-2 and 1-2 made the situation worse. He's a possible starter at some point, so the workload wasn't a big deal, and it saved Jack Dougherty for the rest of the weekend. Credit to Johnson for finding his command in the ninth. That eighth was rough. The fastball was all over the place. But he got it done. It was only his second appearance of the season, also. I'll cut him a little slack.
This isn't a surprise because the Ole Miss offense is expected to be relentless, but the two deficits didn't do anything to affect Ole Miss' plan. UCF led 2-0 after two innings and 6-3 after five innings, but both times Ole Miss responded quickly. The early at-bat of the game was Justin Bench's opposite-field single on a full count pitch to set the table for TJ McCants' three-run home run in the fourth inning. Ole Miss hadn't had a base runner before Kevin Graham and Bench singled and McCants sent one out of right field.
In the sixth, Peyton Chatagnier, Jacob Gonzalez and Tim Elko hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off UCF starter David Linchfield. Chatagnier's two-run home run in his next at-bat gave Ole Miss its winning total. Reagan Burford had an excellent seven-pitch walk to get on for Chatagnier. Ole Miss hit five home runs in the game and were 3-for-8 with runners on base. UCF was 6-for-21 with runners on.
Tonight was a great example of why it's so hard to pitch to this lineup. Litchfield was excellent through four innings. He used his sinker effectively and caused Ole Miss to roll over and pop up pitches, as he just hammered the strike zone with quality pitches. He threw more than 70 pitches for strikes through four innings. But then the middle of the Ole Miss order got to him the second time through the order with three straight hits. When he was left out there to face the order a third time, Ole Miss went back to back to back. The sinker hung more as Litchfield tired, and Ole Miss didn't miss it. Kevin Graham mentioned on Wednesday how the Rebels don't get frustrated if a few innings don't work out. So far they've been right in knowing the crooked numbers will come.
Ole Miss vs. Litchfield:
1st time through the order: 1-for-9, one single
2nd time through the order: 3-for-9, two singles, home run
3rd time through the order: 3-for-3, 3 home runs
Derek Diamond's night spiraled in the fifth inning. After a walk and two outs, he gave up three straight hits including a home run that put UCF up at the time. It was a hanging breaking ball that was out over the plate, but the at-bat of the inning was the walk to start things. It was an eight-pitch at-bat with four foul balls, as Diamond couldn't get anything by the hitter.
He had seven strikeouts and all but one were swinging, but they typically happen because of speed changes more than movement, though his breaking ball was the best it's looked all season. Diamond's lack of swing and miss can extend at-bats at times and leads to more walks and home runs. The fastball flattens out at times. I thought Mike Bianco did a good thing by leaving him in and seeing how Diamond responded after the double there in the fifth. He'd settled nicely and shown some good signs the two previous innings. Ole Miss needed to let him try to work out of the jam and find a gear to get out of it. Solving the rotation -- as in who should be in it -- remains the priority. In league play, go get him. But, tonight, that was the right move to collect more data moving forward. His best route is to pitch backwards which lets the fastball play up a little bit. It's a good strategy as long as he locates and keeps the breaking ball down.
Riley Maddox showed good composure tonight. He entered having thrown 39 of 48 pitches for strikes, Brian Rippee tells me, and he overcame a little bad luck and an inability to get the outside corner called or a strike. He stranded a couple runners and was effective with multiple pitches. He faced adversity and got some confidence from it. Good inning for him other than allowing an inherited runner to score.
Brandon Johnson threw 66 pitches in a three-inning save that had a little of everything. The seventh inning was very good, and he struck out the side in the ninth. And then there was the eighth inning. He walked four batters, walking in a run to cut the lead to a single run. A strikeout stranded the bases loaded, but he couldn't find the zone and the nibbling on 0-2 and 1-2 made the situation worse. He's a possible starter at some point, so the workload wasn't a big deal, and it saved Jack Dougherty for the rest of the weekend. Credit to Johnson for finding his command in the ninth. That eighth was rough. The fastball was all over the place. But he got it done. It was only his second appearance of the season, also. I'll cut him a little slack.
