Ole Miss has to get a win today in bracket finale

Ole Miss, down two, had no outs with bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and were unable to come away with a win.

It was unbelievably hard to watch, but it’s a new day, and the Rebels have to win.

Ole Miss was unable to find its familiar rhythm on offense with Arkansas’ pitching holding them to only two runs in the entire game. It looked as though the team found its groove in the ninth, but stranded three runners after a pop fly by shortstop Jacob Gonzalez.

John Gaddis earned the start on the mound for the Rebs, instead of the usual Derek Diamond. Gaddis earned the loss on the day after going five innings with four hits and two earned runs. The pitching for the Rebs was pretty great, considering what Arkansas is able to do if you let them really get things started.

Here was the bigger issue. Ole Miss only had five hits on the day, with three of those coming from designated hitter Kemp Alderman. For the first time since the SEC tournament, Ole Miss looked very flat and lost at the plate, which ultimately gave them the loss. They found some life in the ninth, but just couldn’t capitalize on the most perfect opportunity.

On the mound today is going to be two aces who already faced each other in the regular season and are working off of very minimal rest. Dylan DeLucia will get the start for the Rebs, while ace Connor Noland will pitch for the Razorbacks.

While the hitting was the biggest obstacle in this game for Ole Miss, a huge missed call at second by the umpires is likely going to be the biggest storyline of this game. At the time, it didn’t seem to be matter that much with Ole Miss unable to hit or get any offensive moment going, but after scoring a run in the ninth, the Rebs could have used the umps getting that one right. I’m no expert, but watching a runners finger move upon contact in like 8 different angles is typically a pretty easy call to make.

Ole Miss will play today at 3 p.m. C.T. in a must-win game to survive and advance to the national championship. Instead of having the advantage, the Rebs are now in a winner-take-all scenario where they’re going to have to do everything they can to get a win. They forfeited the upper hand when they had the bases loaded with no outs and couldn’t find a way to get home. There is some good news, though. Ole Miss is 2-0 when they are the away or road team in Omaha, and 0-1 when they are the home team. Today, they’re back on the road.

The Rebs will have to beat Arkansas just one more time to play in the College World Series championship. What could go wrong?

How to watch

Where: Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, Neb.

When: 3 pm CDT

TV: ESPN

Online streaming: WatchESPN