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Breaking down Ole Miss' 5-run, 9th-inning comeback against Mississippi State

A batter-by-batter look at the Rebels' logic-defying, series-sweeping rally in Oxford.

By Jeff Gray

It looked like just another Game 3 face plant. After a disappointing outing from Scott Weathersby and listless day at the plate, Ole Miss went into the bottom of the ninth on Saturday trailing Mississippi State 7-2, having just watched the Bulldogs plate two insurance runs in the top of the inning.

But then shit got crazy.

Down to their last out (and on three occasions, their last strike), the Rebs plated five runs to send the game to extras, where freshman DH Nic Perkins delivered a walkoff single to sweep State in not only the baseball series, but the big three sports for the first time since 1972.

Let's take a batter-by-batter look at the ninth-inning comeback.

1. Sikes Orvis leads off with a liner into shallow right, at the time making him 4-for-4 on the day (he finished 4-for-5). Two of those four hits were solo homers, the second of which gave us this spectacular moment in human history:

2. Austin Knight lines out to center field.

3. J.B. Woodman walks, forcing Austin Sexton, who had given up just six hits through 8.1 innings, off the mound.

4. Nic Perkins pops up to the catcher for the second out.

5. With a 2-2 count, a pitch comes in just below Kyle Watson's knees for a ball. State catcher Gavin Collins decides he wants to show the ump up with this boneheaded move.

One pitch later, Watson walks to load the bases.

6. Facing an 0-2 count, Henri Lartigue takes a pitch off the arm to make it 7-3.

7. Down 1-2 (the third consecutive two-strike count, if you're following along at home), Errol Robinson pokes an RBI single through the right side of the infield to make it 7-4.

8. Will Golsan draws a bases-loaded walk to make it 7-5 and force another pitching change.

9. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Colby Bortles smokes a two-RBI single back up the middle to tie it at 7.

10. Orvis records the third out and we head to extras.

The Rebs didn't string out the drama for much longer, though. Wyatt Short, closing his third consecutive game, got three up, three down in the top of the tenth. Knight walked on four pitches to start the bottom of the frame, went to second on a Woodman bunt, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Tate Blackman came in as a pinch runner and Perkins, who came to the plate 0-for-4, chopped a ball over a drawn-in infield for the walkoff and the sweep.

Here are the full highlights, including the game-winner.