A flat Ole Miss baseball team came up short against Alabama to drop the series Saturday in the final regular season game.
Alabama locked up a top four seed and possibly a national No. 8 seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament by beating the visiting Rebels 6-2.
The loss pretty much erodes hopes of a NCAA host regional for the Rebels who finished the SEC slate at an even 15-15. They will carry a 36-20 overall record into next week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, where it is likely, arch-rival Mississippi State awaits.
State lost its series to Texas A&M and was listed in eighth place at 16-14. Ole Miss is in ninth at 15-15. Tennessee was still playing, but Ole Miss won its series against the Vols.
A big question for Ole Miss will be the readiness of Saturday starter Cade Townsend. He was not sharp and did not get out of the fourth inning against Alabama.
Townsend went 3.2 innings and gave up five runs on six hits. He took the loss. Walker Hooks shined, going 3.1 innings of scoreless ball, but Ole Miss was already down 6-2 when he entered.
Alabama got a good game from Myles Upchurch who limited the Ole Miss offense after the third inning. Ashton Croucher went the final two innings to close it out.
Ole Miss was limited to four hits. The last was a double by Topher Jones in the fifth and nothing else afterwards.
Ole Miss started off okay. They erased a 1-0 hole by scoring two in the third inning. Austin Fawley, Hunter Paino and Topher Jones got the bases loaded. A single by Dom Decker scored Fawley to tie the game at 1. Tristan Bissetta hit a fly ball to right which was deep enough to score Paino to put Ole Miss up 2-1.
It didn’t last. Bryce Fowler led off the third with a double down the right field line. Townsend got a strikeout to get two out, but he lost John Lemm with a hit to center that scored Fowler to tie the game at 2.
Townsend ran into more trouble in the fourth. Two walks and a hit set up Justin Lebron with a fly out to right to Brennan Holt to put the Tide up. The bullpen was moving, but Townsend recovered to fan Brady Neal for a big second out.
The plan to keep Townsend going, however, backfired when Jason Torres sent a hit past short for two runs and a 5-2 Tide lead.
Alabama a solo home run from Eric Hines to take a 6-2 lead.
Ole Miss got a double from Topher Jones in the fifth inning and nothing much else.
