BLOG: Rebels beat Georgia, move on in SEC tourney

Published 5:01 pm Tuesday, May 24, 2016

HOOVER, Ala. — The goal was simple. Win and hang around for at least a couple more days.

That is exactly what No. 7-seeded Ole Miss will be doing as the Rebels defeated No. 10 seed Georgia, 5-1, in Tuesday’s single-elimination round of the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

The prize for moving on to the double-elimination portion of the tournament is a date with No. 2 seed South Carolina at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The Gamecocks, who won the SEC East title, swept Ole Miss (41-16) during their regular-season encounter in Oxford last month. David Parkinson will get the start against South Carolina.

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The offense was sluggish at first as Georgia starter Heath Holder kept the Rebels off the board the first three innings. That changed with a four-run fourth thanks to the duo of J.B. Woodman and third baseman Colby Bortles.

Holder, who worked seven innings and allowing only one run in the Bulldogs’ win over Ole Miss on May 8, lasted only 3 2/3 innings on Tuesday, giving up four runs on four hits.

Woodman, the recently named All-SEC center fielder, hit a two-run triple, scoring Tate Blackman and Will Golsan. Bortles followed with a two-run double to score Woodman and catcher Henri Lartigue. Woodman provided more offense in the fifth with an RBI double to plate Golsan for the winning margin.

Woodman finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs while Bortles went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Five Rebel batters recorded a least one hit.

With a 60-pitch limit set on him Tuesday, Ole Miss’ Brady Bramlett only needed 57 and worked four innings of three-hit baseball and gave up only one run. Georgia’s lone run was a solo home run by center fielder Stephen Wrenn in the first inning. Georgia (27-30) had a chance for more in the opening frame with two runners in scoring position, but first baseman Trevor Kieboom lined out to Woodman to end the threat.

Brady Feigl worked three scoreless innings of relief while Will Stokes and closer Wyatt Short worked the last six outs. Stokes worked a batter into the ninth but was pulled for Short after Georgia got an infield single after it bounced off Bortles’ outstretched glove.