Ole Miss Rebels Salvage Game Three in Athens: Three Takeaways

The Georgia Bulldogs won the series, but the Ole Miss Rebels found a way to win the final game on Saturday.

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco (5) / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion

After Ole Miss started 2-1 in SEC play in an eye-opening series win over the now-projected regional host South Carolina Gamecocks, the Rebels have gone 4-10 within the conference.

The window of opportunity for another statement series win to cement a postseason berth is closing. The series against Alabama will be one of the year's biggest series, as it seems like another do-or-die matchup.

The Rebels were only able to claim one win this weekend in Athens, and here are three takeaways from the series loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Friday Night Disaster

After bombs from Andrew Fischer and Will Furniss with two outs in the top of the first had the Rebels up three, the Bulldogs responded in a big way. A red-hot Georgia lineup capitalized on four errors and flexed with the long ball to end the Friday night contest in the eighth.

Errors have been a constant theme as the Rebels lead the SEC in defensive miscues. You will not win games in the SEC making errors at this rate, and it is as simple as that.

The Bulldogs had the long ball working all weekend and seemed to be leaving the park at will at some points in the series. It was a disappointing start to a highly-anticipated weekend series.

Liam Doyle Shines...Again

Liam Doyle turned in another solid start on Saturday, going five innings and only allowing three hits. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first and dealt in the rest of his start until a two-run homer from Charlie Condon gave the Bulldogs the lead, but Doyle gave the Rebel bats a chance.

Giving your offense a shot is all you want from your starter, but the Rebels couldn't provide run support.

Doyle has been the bright spot in the Rebels' shaky rotation and continues to give them a chance to win when he is on the bump.

Game Three Salvaged

It would have been easy to give up on the series after the Rebels dropped game two in a contest that, in some ways, slipped through their fingers. This is definitely a testament to team culture to find a way to win a close game in game three.

Brayden Jones had to step up and secure his first save of the year, a great sign as Jones had been struggling a little bit and saw a dip in his opportunities out of the pen.

Can the Rebels stack wins? That is the million-dollar question. Going 7-5 the rest of the way should be enough, but that starts with the Alabama Crimson Tide, who have been hot as of late.