College World Series 2014 bracket update: Ole Miss survives again, sends TCU home

Ole Miss survived a second consecutive elimination game Thursday night as its dormant offense finally lurched to life at the College World Series in a 6-4 pull-away win over TCU.

Rebel sluggers Will Allen and Sikes Orvis, who combined to go 0-12 in their first two games in Omaha, went 6-for-10 with five RBIs, powering Ole Miss through arguably the deepest pitching staff in the country. Allen’s single through the middle in the seventh broke open a 4-4 tie, and Orvis’s double deep down the left field line in the ninth added an insurance run.

Leadoff man Braxton Lee got the Rebels on the board first with an RBI single in the third inning. Two batters later, Allen, who was moved from his usual position behind the plate into the DH slot due to a rumored arm injury, delivered a two-run double to break open a three-run lead.

But Sam Smith, the Ole Miss starter that worked through the first three frames with relative ease, came unglued in the fourth. A double from Boomer White scored TCU’s first run, and after loading the bases, Smith walked in the second. Rebel closer Josh Laxer made an early appearance to relieve Smith, but issued a bases-loaded walk himself to tie the game.

Orvis put Ole Miss back in the lead with an RBI single in the fifth, but the Horned Frogs pulled back even in the bottom of the inning when first baseman Kevin Cron sent a 390-foot blast over the left field wall for just the second home run of this year’s College World Series.

Two innings later, Orvis put Ole Miss in the lead for good. A combination of relievers Wyatt Short and Aaron Greenwood then held TCU off the board down the stretch.

Ole Miss will turn around and play Virginia on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Virginia beat the Rebels with a ninth-inning 2-1 walkoff in their opening game of Omaha. Ole Miss will have to beat the undefeated Cavaliers twice to play their way into the finals.

On the other side of the bracket, undefeated Vanderbilt looks to lock up a spot in the finals against Texas on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

For the complete bracket, visit NCAA.com.