Ole Miss Beats Baylor 3-0 in Game 1 of the Salt Lake City Regional
The Baylor Bears had a rough outing against the Ole Miss Rebels on Friday, losing their first matchup of the double-elimination NCAA Tournament 3-0.
After a season of big performances for Glenn Moore’s squad, Baylor hit the diamond in search of their first NCAA Tournament win in five years. Baylor was bounced from the Big 12 Tournament the week prior due to a hitting slump against Iowa State that carried over into the NCAA Tournament, sending the Bears to an elimination game on Saturday.
Unfortunately for Baylor, they waited for the biggest game of the season to have a rough performance. After not finding a single run in Friday’s game, the Bears have an uphill battle ahead if they want to continue to take the field. While Ole Miss didn’t play a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, with a second-round matchup in the winner’s bracket on the line, the game came down to two hits.
After Savana Sikes was given a free pass to first base after being hit by a pitch in the second inning, the Rebels catcher, Lexie Brady, showed up in a big way. Brady started the scoring off with a two-run bomb to put the Rebels ahead 2-0. The second game-changing hit came from infielder Paige Smith, who logged a triple after connecting with a timely fastball to add an extra run to the Rebels total.
If Baylor is to have any hope of staying alive in Saturday’s elimination game, their team hitting has to improve. The Bears finished the day (3-25) in the batter’s box and when the total number of hits for a team matches their opponent’s runs scored on the day, things look bleak at best.
Ole Miss awaits the winner of Utah and Southern Illinois, with the winner taking on the Rebels Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT, and the loser facing elimination against Baylor at 5:30.
