University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Ole Miss
Rebels Down Vols 4-2 in 11
April 16, 2004 | Baseball
April 16, 2004
Oxford, Miss. - Alex Presley's walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers in the first of three games at Swayze Field. Game two is Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.
The loss did not hurt Tennessee (29-7, 9-4 SEC) in Eastern Division standings as it kept it three-game lead over Florida and South Carolina as both suffered losses as well. It was the first time the Volunteers had dropped back-to-back games.
The Vols turned the game over to Scot Drucker (6-2) in the ninth after Derek Tharpe pitched 8 2/3 innings in taking a no decision. After getting touched for two runs on five hits in the first three innings, Tharpe shutout the Rebels over the last 5 2/3 limiting them to three hits while finishing with nine strikeouts and one walk.
With one out in the 11th, Seth Smith drew a walk before Presley, who pinch hit in the ninth and struckout, hit the game-winning blast to right.
Ole Miss (29-6, 9-4 SEC) took an early 2-0 lead after three as Chris Coghlan doubled and scored on Seth Smith's hit in the second, while Cooper Osteen singled to lead off the third, advanced to third on Stephen Head's single and plated on a ground out.
Tennessee mounted a two out rally in the eighth to tie the game. Kyle Norrid, who went 3-for-5, put the Vols on the board with his second home run of the year, a 398-foot blast to center field. That would mark the end of Rebel starter Mark Holliman's night as he allowed six hits with six strikeouts. Chris Kemp then reached on an infield single off Head (5-1) and scored the tying run on Alex Suarez's ringing double to center.
