Ole Miss Rebels rally past OU Sooners in College World Series finals, win NCAA baseball title

OMAHA, Neb. — OU baseball head coach Skip Johnson sought out Trevin Michael after the game.

The Sooners’ season had just ended with a 4-2 loss to Ole Miss in Game 2 of the College World Series on Sunday due in part to Michael, who had a 2-1 lead to work with when he tried to close out the contest in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Michael boasted a team-high 10 saves on the season, but the graduate closer stumbled on college baseball’s biggest stage.

After allowing an RBI single by Jacob Gonzalez that tied the game at 2-2, Michael threw two straight wild pitches that brought in a pair of runs.

That was the nail in OU’s coffin, but Johnson didn’t bring up the miscues when he talked to Michael after the game.

“I love you,” Johnson told Michael. “I wouldn’t want to have anybody else out there.”

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Redshirt freshman pitcher Cade Horton kept the Rebels’ batters contained early on.

After recording a pair of strikeouts in the first inning, the former Ole Miss commit went back to work in the second. Horton surrendered a leadoff single but struck out the next three batters he faced.

"I just stuck to what I've been doing the last few starts, which is taking it one pitch at a time," Horton said. "I just wanted to put my team in a position to win, get ahead and throw strikes."

Ole Miss (42-23) had a freshman ace of its own, though.

Hunter Elliott also stifled OU’s offense to start the game. After surrendering a single against the first batter he faced, the true freshman didn’t allow a hit until the top of the seventh inning.

It looked as if OU (45-24) broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning when John Spikerman laid down a bunt up the middle. Elliott scooped it up and opted not to try to throw out Jackson Nicklaus, who was already sliding into home.

Elliott instead threw the ball to first, and the catch was mishandled by Ole Miss second baseman Peyton Chatagnier.

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This momentarily gave OU a 1-0 lead, but the run ultimately got taken off the board when an official review resulted in Spikerman being called for interference.

"Yeah, thank God for the Jumbotron, huh? Geez," Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. "Yeah, I was frustrated because I went out the pitch before and knew that they would safety squeeze or thought they would safety squeeze, so we went and made sure everybody knew what they were supposed to do. Terrific bunt by their lead-off guy.:

Peyton Graham then sent a fly ball into right field on the next pitch and tossed his bat in frustration as Ole Miss’ Calvin Harris made the catch.

Things only got more frustrating for OU in the bottom of the frame.

On the third pitch he saw, Gonzalez connected and sent it over the wall in right-center for a leadoff home run.

The Sooners responded in the top of the seventh inning.

Nicklaus got the ball rolling by sending a blooper into right field. Gonzalez tried to make the over-the-shoulder grab, but the ball eluded his glove and hit the ground for an RBI double that tied the game.

OU then loaded the bases with two outs when Kendall Pettis stepped up to the plate. Elliott threw four straight balls in his direction for a bases-loaded walk that gave the Sooners a 2-1 lead, their first of the series.

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"They're going to fight," Johnson said of his players. "That's one thing that they've done. They've fought and fought. They've battled and battled. This is part of their DNA. This is part of what the University of Oklahoma has taught them to do."

Meanwhile, Horton continued his reign of dominance on the mound. The Norman native struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning, which marked his final full inning of the day.

Horton finished with a career-high 13 strikeouts and four allowed hits in 7 ⅓ innings before handing the ball off to Michael, and that’s when Ole Miss made its late push for the lead.

For a team that was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll, OU fell two wins short of its first national title since 1994.

"It's been wild," Horton said of the team's postseason run. "It's been fun. Hopefully, next year we can get back here."

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Follow along for updates throughout the game.

Bottom first: Cade Horton sets the tone

Redshirt freshman pitcher Cade Horton struck out two of the first three batters he faced.

Top second: Hunter Elliot responds

Freshman pitcher Hunter Elliot matched Horton's hot start by recording his second strikeout of the day.

Bottom fourth: Horton gets out of a jam

Ole Miss placed runners on first and second with one out, but Horton kept the game scoreless with a strikeout and a groundout.

Top sixth: OU gets run taken off the board

OU seemingly struck first via an RBI single by John Spikerman, but a challenge by Ole Miss led to the play being overturned. Spikerman got called for interference, and the run got erased.

Bottom sixth: Ole Miss capitalizes

With momentum on its side, Ole Miss claimed a 1-0 lead via a solo home run by Jacob Gonzalez.

Top seventh: OU bounces back

An RBI double by Jackson Nicklaus tied the game at 1-1, and a bases-loaded walk gave OU a 2-1 lead.

Bottom eighth: Rebels make a late comeback

Ole Miss scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead. Gonzalez delivered an RBI single, and a pair of wild pitches by Trevin Michael allowed two more runs to score.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ole Miss beats OU Sooners, wins NCAA baseball College World Series