Rough Pitching, Defensive Miscues Lead Ole Miss to Run-Rule Loss at Vanderbilt

Thursday was not a banner night for Ole Miss defensively or on the mound.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Following a four-error night and a strong offensive performance from the No. 6 Vanderbilt Commodores, the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels now sit at 0-1 in SEC play, falling 12-2 in run-rule fasion on Thursday night.

The Rebels fell behind 2-0 early in the game after a two-run home run by Vanderbilt's Parker Noland, but they responded with two runs of their own in the top of the third inning. It was in the bottom of the fourth, however, that Vandy secured a lead that it never relinquished with a three-spot at the plate.

The Commodores would push across runs again in the fifth and eighth innings to extend the lead and come away with the win.

One of the biggest stories of the night for Ole Miss, however, came defensively where it committed four errors as a team. Second baseman Peyton Chatagnier recorded two errors, his first miscues since February of last season, and he was joined by one error apiece from third baseman Ethan Lege and shortstop Jacob Gonzalez.

Despite the multitude of misfires on defense for the Rebels, 11 of Vanderbilt's 12 runs were earned, and five of those earned runs were tabbed to starter Jack Dougherty. Dougherty was relieved on the mound by Mitch Murrell after four innings of work, and Murrell, in turn, worked three-plus, seeing action in the eighth inning but not securing an out.

Left-hander Jackson Kimbrell came out of the bullpen to attempt to get the Rebels to the finish line in the eighth inning, but he surrendered two runs in 0.1 inning of work, and he gave way to Mason Morris.

At the plate, Ethan Groff and Calvin Harris were responsible for RBIs, and one of the lone bright spots for the Rebels on the night was a perfect 4-for-4 game from Harris.

With the loss, Ole Miss has now dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season, and it falls to 14-4 (0-1 SEC) on the year. The Rebels will look to get back into the win column on Friday when their series with Vanderbilt continues with a 6 p.m. CT first pitch on SEC Network+. 

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