‘Really sharp!’ Rebels RHP Grayson Saunier Thrives in Blowout of High Point.

 

 

The headlines from Sunday’s game will undoubtedly focus on the offense, but one of the most notable takeaways from the Ole Miss Rebels’ dominance over the High Point Panthers was RHP Grayson Saunier’s performance on the mound.

On Sunday, the Rebels trounced the visiting Panthers 25-2, winning the series in run-rule manner. Even though the Panthers hit five home runs as a team, the Ole Miss pitching staff kept them at bay throughout the game, with Saunier getting the start in four innings.

Saunier won his first win of the season, allowing three hits, two walks, and one earned run while striking out five in four innings.

“I thought he was really sharp,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “About as sharp as I’ve seen him in quite some time in real games. You can see why he can be so special. Throw the ball low-to-mid 90s, command a slider, and he threw a few changeups today.”

Ole Miss put up 11 runs in the first inning alone, so Saunier had the struggle of long waits in the dugout between his appearances on the mound. In fact, during that first inning, he had to get up to throw and stay loose twice as the Rebels did damage at the plate.

“It’s tough when you have that break,” Bianco said. “It’s kind of a double-edged sword.You want the big leads, but sometimes the big leads lead to sitting on the bench a lot.

“You want the lead, but can you compete and pitch like it’s an SEC weekend? Can you challenge yourself to pitch like it’s 0-0? That’s what we tried to do.”

That experience was a new one for Saunier who gave credit to his offense for an incredible conclusion to the series, one that saw them score a combined 37 runs over the course of two days.

“I’ve never really had to do that before,” Saunier said. “Hats off to our offense. That was incredible and fun to watch, but definitely getting a little tired in the fourth inning. Pretty cool.”

Ole Miss had a difficult start to its season, holding a 2-4 record before picking up

these last two wins over the weekend. Does this performance silence the critics?