Grillin' and Chillin': Rebel Alliance splits midweek series against UCA & Memphis

So there's good news and bad news. The good news is that in Tuesday's game against Central Arkansas, I had a good reason to leave after the second inning and make it home in time for the NFL schedule release. The Rebs had SEVEN STRAIGHT hits (plus a walk by Sikes) in the first and blew the game wide open with a JB Woodman homer in the second to make the score 14-2. The diamond bears sailed to an easy 18-4 victory.

Wednesday night, the good news was the Star Wars night hype train. I rode that thing all week leading up to Wednesday and it did not disappoint. Our athletic department nailed it. Everything from the poster/shirt giveaways to the jumbotron video features was through the roof phenomenal. Here are some highlight pics.

We all know that wookies can't yield the force so it wasn't too surprising to see Chewbacca's ceremonial first pitch sail 20 feet off the plate.

Nice touch with the intro even though the "smothering offense and impenetrable defense" part is a bit suspect.

Whoever thought of this idea deserves a load of RCR blog dollars. The video department superimposed light sabers onto our players' bats hitting dingers, then showing clips of explosions from the movies (Death Star, Jabba the Hutt's ship, etc.) Will Golsan is definitely the strongest Jedi at the moment.

Dancing Yoda using force shake maraca for Peanut Butter Jelly Time. I lol'd. Admiral Ackbar even made an appearance to do the ARE YOU READY before the game.

As for the game itself, the story was an all too familiar one of runners left on base. In the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, the Rebs tried to spark a comeback, managing to put two runners in scoring position each inning. However, the timely hits never came and the momentum died quick like Greedo in the cantina bar (HAN SHOT FIRST!). The Tigers held onto their lead and didn't look back, winning 10-5.

Swayze Swag levels:

RISING

Ole Miss athletic department: I completely understand that themed nights are bit of a gimmick across the country for minor league parks to draw fans in, but the overall experience was very well executed. I hope this becomes an annual tradition. Hell, I'd be down for any theme, the possibilities are endless: 80's night, Disney night, Power Rangers night, Bring your dog to the park night, Oxvegas: F--K The School Down South T-shirt night, etc.

Connor Cloyd: Connor went a combined 7-10 this week and leads the team batting average with .414. Sure, he's only got 58 at bats, but the force is strong with this one. I'm not sure why he isn't our full time LF because Kyle Watson's bat is colder than a Hoth blizzard.

HOLDING STEADY

Colby Bortles: Colby went a combined 5-9 with four RBI and three runs scored. His slugging percentage is a whopping .468. The only reason he's not RISING is because of his stirke outs. He still leads the team in strikeouts with 46, three of which came this week. At the same time, Colby's a bruiser bat like Sikes, so it's not too surprising to see these types of skewed numbers from a three-four hole hitter.

FALLING

Sam Smith: Sam got himself in a jam early in the first inning when he gave up three hits and botched a run down play which allowed a run (NEVER THROW BEHIND THE RUNNER) after fielding an infield blooper. He went four innings with zero strikeouts while giving up nine hits.

GRILLIN' AND CHILLIN'

YELLOW LIGHT SABER DAGGERS aka Mexican grilled street corn

• corn on the cobb
• 2 parts sour cream
• 1 part mayo
• 1/2 part chopped cilantro
• lime, chili powder, parmesan/cotijo cheese