Ole Miss Offense Goes Silent as Rebels Drop Game 2, Series vs. Vanderbilt

The Rebels failed to muster anything at the plate on Friday night and dropped their opening series of SEC play as a result.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels dropped game two and the series against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday night, falling 8-0 after a struggling performance offensively.

What began as a pitchers' duel in the early innings swung Vanderbilt's way in the fifth when the Commodores pushed across four runs, three of which came on a three-run home run. That inning saw the departure of Ole Miss starting pitcher Grayson Saunier who, up until that point, had a solid outing, keeping the Vanderbilt bats at bay and keeping his team in the game.

When the Commodore offense exploded, however, the Rebel offense remained silent, mustering only two hits in the loss, and recording no hits after the second inning. The only two Rebels who recorded hits on the night were catcher Calvin Harris and designated hitter Reagan Burford.

Junior lefty Hunter Owen of Vanderbilt threw a complete game on Friday and retired the final 23 batters he faced on the night.

Following Saunier's outing on the mound, Sam Tookoian entered the game and completed the final innings for Ole Miss, surrendering four runs while on the hill for 3.2 innings.

With the loss, Ole Miss has now dropped three straight games and falters in its first series of conference play. The Rebels' record now sits at 14-5 overall and 0-2 in the SEC, and they will look to salvage a game against the Commodores on Saturday in a 1 p.m. CT first pitch.

Saturday's game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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