HOOVER, Ala. — For the second time this season Alabama starter Nathan Kilcrease has pitched into the ninth in a winning effort against the Rebels.
On Thursday, the 5-foot-6, right-hander pitched 8.1 innings en route to a 6-3 victory over the Rebels at Regions Park.
Kilcrease improved to 6-2 on the year with the win, allowing three earned runs on nine hits while also striking out three in the effort.
Ole Miss starter Aaron Barrett was tagged with the loss, surrendering four runs in 6.0 innings.
Alabama took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when after walking and stealing second base, Taylor Dugas scored on a single to left field by Josh Rutledge.
The Tide extended their lead to 3-0 in the sixth inning thanks to an RBI-triple by Jon Kelton that scored David Kindred, and a squeeze-bunt-for-a-single by Brock Bennett that later scored Kelton.
In the seventh, Alabama third baseman Jake Smith tacked on one more run, scoring Ross Wilson from third base on a sacrifice fly to center field. Wilson, who had tagged up on the play, beat a strong throw home from center fielder Tim Ferguson.
Ole Miss finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a single to right field by David Phillips that scored Matt Smith from second base. Smith, who had doubled in the prior at-bat, was the first Rebel to reach base since the first inning. Kilcrease had retired 17 straight up until that hit.
Rutledge extended Alabama’s lead back out to four runs with an RBI-single that scored Bennett from 3B. Rutledge then scored on a single from Clay Jones to put the Tide ahead 6-1.
Miles Hamblin put Ole Miss back on the scoreboard in the next frame, hitting a solo home run over the right field wall to lead off the bottom of the eighth.
Ole Miss will face Auburn tomorrow at 3 p.m. Right-hander David Goforth will get the start for Ole Miss. (May 27, 2010)
