No. 8 Ole Miss smacks UNCW

A four-run second inning combined with a pitching staff that limited the visitors to three hits propelled the No. 8 Ole Miss baseball team to a 7-2 win over No. 23 UNCW.

The win keeps the Rebels (5-0) unbeaten on the season, while the Seahawks (3-1) suffered their first loss. Head coach Mike Bianco also picked up his 635th win as coach of the Rebels, passing longtime Auburn coach Hal Baird for seventh on the Southeastern Conference’s all-time wins list.

Starting pitcher David Parkinson (2-0) was perfect through four innings, and he pitched with a comfortable lead for the majority of his outing. The lefty earned the win by going 6.0 innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits. He also struck out six to match his career high for the second consecutive week. Closing out the game was sophomore Dallas Woolfolk (2), who didn’t allow a single baserunner in 2.1 innings of relief.

Freshman Grae Kessinger tallied his second three-hit night over the past three games, going 3-for-3 to provide a spark at the bottom of the lineup. Chase Cockrell went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and added his first homer as a Rebel. Another newcomer, freshman Thomas Dillard, left the yard for the first time in an Ole Miss uniform with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.

Nick Feight and Mason Berne recorded UNCW’s three hits. Feight hit a solo home run, while Berne went 2-for-4 with a double. On the mound, Alex Royalty (1-1) gave up five runs on five hits and four walks in 6.0 innings of work.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 9:21 PM with the headline "No. 8 Ole Miss smacks UNCW."