On a picture-perfect April Friday night for college baseball, 6th-ranked Ole Miss welcomed 5th-ranked Tennessee to Swayze Field for a highly anticipated three-game set.

On the mound tonight was a battle between two former teammates, with Hunter Elliott starting for Ole Miss and Liam Doyle for the Volunteers. Hunter Elliott gave Ole Miss four complete innings, striking out two and allowing the Volunteers three runs on two hits. Mason Morris would come in for a long relief for the Rebels, giving the Rebels five solid innings of relief pitching. Morris finished his night by giving up three hits, no runs, and eight strikeouts to make ten strikeouts for the Rebels. Former Ole Miss Rebel Liam Doyle had himself a night against his former teammates, giving the Volunteers 8.1 innings of near-perfect baseball, striking out 14, and giving up three hits on two runs.

The Tennessee Volunteers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over Ole Miss before adding a third run in the top half of the 5th. Austin Fawley jacked a two-run shot to cut the lead to 3-2. However, former Ole Miss Rebel Liam Doyle made it his mission to mow down his former teammates, making it impossible for the Rebels to score more than two runs.

With Friday’s loss to Tennessee, Ole Miss drops to 26-8 on the season and 8-5 in Southeastern Conference play.

Here’s the thing: Friday night was about as good a baseball game as these two could have played. Neither offense found its footing; now, the scene has been set for a magical Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field as the Rebels look to even the series and force a series-deciding game on Sunday afternoon. Who knows what to expect between the Vols and Rebels from Saturday’s game two? The Volunteers and Rebels bats might come alive more, as a combined five runs won’t cut it in game two.

Photo Credits- Ole Miss and Tennessee Baseball on X