By By Chris Kieffer/Special to The Star
April 27, 2002
OXFORD Tennessee turned three consecutive hits against Ole Miss reliever T.J. Beam into a four-run eighth inning rally and defeated the Rebels 8-5 Friday night in front of 1,757 at Swayze Field.
Beam, who was last week's SEC pitcher of the week, entered the game in the eighth with the Rebels leading 5-4. Tennessee had one out and runners on second and third.
Beam struck out the first hitter he faced to extend his streak to 19.2 consecutive innings without an earned run.
With two strikes, Tennessee second baseman Nick Crowe brought that to an end.
Crowe hit a 92-mile-an-hour fastball down the third base line to score Matt Sternberg and Dennis Gomez.
Beam said that's just the way the game goes sometimes.
Jordan Czarniecki doubled in Crow and scored on Walter Sevilla's single. It was Beam's first blown save of the year.
With the win, Tennessee improved to 22-22, 7-12 in the SEC. Ole Miss fell to 33-10, 12-7. With Alabama's 8-6 win over Auburn, Ole Miss fell two games behind the Crimson Tide in the SEC West.
The Rebels failed to capitalize on their opportunities. Ole Miss left 14 men on base, including a runner on third in each of the first seven innings. The Rebels left nine men in scoring position.
Ole Miss had 13 singles and no extra-base hits. The Rebels were also unable to fully take advantage of six Tennessee errors.
Tennessee scored two runs in the top of the first, including a 372-foot homer by Czarniecki.
The Rebels used three Tennessee errors to score three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Ole Miss used two more Tennessee errors to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning, but failed to score a run.
Ole Miss scored a run in the fourth before Tennessee plated runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the game at four.
Dennis Gomez hit a solo-homerun 412-feet to right in the sixth for one of the Tennessee runs.
Ole Miss retook the lead in the bottom of the inning. Seth Smith led off and reached on an error by Crowe. Matt Mossberg singled when the first baseman Gomez missed the tag on Mossberg's bunt down the line. Chad Sterbens beat out another bunt to load the bases. Smith scored when Dustin Cliburn hit into a double play.
Ben Riley (4-2) gave up two earned runs and 13 hits in 8.1 innings for Tennessee to earn the win. Riley stuck out six Rebels.
Saturday's starter Jeffery Terrell retired both hitters he faced to earn his fifth save.
The Rebels' Al Simontis (4-1) got the loss, giving up two runs and four hits in 2.1 innings.
J.R. Pickens started for the Rebels and gave up four runs and six hits while striking out five in five innings.
Ole Miss left-fielder Drew Rogers tweaked his hamstring in the first inning and is expected to miss the entire weekend.
The two teams meet again Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Swayze Field. Pete Montrenes (8-3, 4.71) will start for Ole Miss against Terrell (3-6, 4.14).