MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Millsaps baseball team knocked off No. 3 seed Rhodes, 9-3 to earn a 1-0 series advantage in the SAA Opening Round on Stauffer Field at Irwin Lainoff Stadium, Friday.
 
The Majors will now look to close the series by winning one of two remaining games in the series on Saturday to advance to Championship Weekend, which will feature four SAA series winners at the highest remaining seed, May 5-7.
 
Graduate Chris Hart finished with two RBIs, two hits, two stolen bases and a walk. Junior Case Page batted 3-5, adding two RBIs and a run. Classmate Jackson Ware finished 2-5 with one RBI, while freshman EJ Ousley (2-4) led the Majors with three RBIs. Teammates Branyan Bounds and Bradley Pelle (2-4) both stole two bases. 
 
Freshman Stewart Bonnecaze pitched 5.1 innings with six strikeouts and two walks, while only allowing three runs against six hits. Sophomore Nick Tarantino closed out the final 3.2 innings without surrendering a run and only one hit. He added four strikeouts holding the Lynx to one walk.
 
Ware created the breakthrough hit in the third inning, scoring junior David Abbadessa for the game's first run. Millsaps would continue to dominate as they took a 2-0 lead over Rhodes in the fourth when Ousley singled Bounds to the plate.
 
The Majors would continue their hot streak going into the fifth inning by adding six more on the scoreboard. Page plated home senior Sam Pitre and Pelle utilized a sacrifice fly, making it a 4-0 start.
 
With two outs, Ousley used a huge two-RBI single to bring home Page and Bounds from scoring position. Hart added a two-double double moments later to generate an 8-0 advantage.
 
Rhodes attacked in the fifth with a two-run homer to cut the deficit to six. The Lynx loaded the bases to open the sixth and scored off a balk.
 
However, Pitre was scored off a Page RBI single to stop the run and extend the Millsaps lead to 9-3 in the eighth inning. Tarantino finished the eighth and ninth with a double play and two strikeouts looking.
 
Millsaps will face Rhodes in Game Two of the best-of-three series, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday. An if-necessary Game Three will follow at 2:30 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.

 
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