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Right Field Review: This Ole Miss team still doesn't make any sense after a series loss to Auburn

How do you follow up beating No. 1 Vandy? How about losing 14-0 in a rubber game against a bad Auburn team.

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, the headline of this column bemused that "Nothing about Ole Miss baseball makes sense" after a grand-slam, ninth-inning rally sparked a comeback series win on the road against then-No. 1 Vandy (for the record, the Dores dropped another series to South Carolina this past weekend). It's a headline that's equally fitting after the Diamond Rebs, less than a week removed from an upset over the country's top-ranked team, went and lost two out of three from a bad Auburn club, including a 14-0 joke of a rubber game.

Christian Trent had a decent enough start on Friday, giving up nine hits and two earned runs over six innings, but a lack of run support dropped the Rebs in a 3-1 loss. The only run came in the ninth inning and Ole Miss batters struck out 10 times.

The offense woke up in the first game of Saturday's double header, knocking Auburn's ace out after just two innings. Over the course of the game, the Rebs piled up seven runs on 13 hits -- most of which came with two outs -- to even the series.

Then Game 3 happened. We're not gonna talk about Game 3.

Scoreboard

Game 1: Auburn 3, Ole Miss 1
Game 2: Ole Miss 7, Auburn 2
Game 3: Did we play a third game? I forget.

3 takeaways

1. We're back to square one on Sundays.

After Will Stokes picked up his first collegiate win with a sparkling, six-inning outing to clinch the Vandy series, it looked like he was finally rounding into an answer for the Rebels' Sunday woes. Not anymore: he lasted just 3 and a third in against Auburn, managing to give up six runs on 10 hits.

You have to think Mike Bianco will at least reopen the dialogue about who this team's Sunday starter is. I suggested earlier this season that he could reach into the pen for either Scott Weathersby or Jacob Waguespack, but that's not as easy at it sounds after Wags allowed four earned runs in just 1.2 innings. Wags' recent struggles have a two-fold effect: not only does it make him less trustworthy as a potential starter, but it means Weathersby is one of only two reliable relief options (Wyatt Short being the other), meaning he probably needs to stay in the pen.

Sam Smith has really screwed this team over.

2. Oh Sikes, where art though?

Outside of Smith's collapse on the mound, perhaps the biggest factor in the Rebs' disappointing season has been the cold bat of Sikes Orvis, who went 2-of-9 on the weekend. In his last 30 SEC at-bats, the big fella has just three hits, one RBI and six strikeouts. A high walk rate has kept his OBP at a decent .325, but his conference batting average is now down to .212.

3. Errol's so hot right now.

Errol Robinson had a big Saturday, going 4-of-7 with a pair of free passes thrown in. In total, he hit .455 for the series and has bumped his SEC average up to .268. With some of the bigger bats struggling this season, Errol and fellow interior infielder Will Golsan (5-of-13 on the weekend) are helping to pick up some of the slack.