The Ole Miss Rebels have jumped to a best ever 10-0 start beating Eastern in a double header on Saturday.

Coming into this weekend, the Rebels were ranked 12th in the nation and their wins against the Panthers will not hurt their rank.

The first game was a rout in which the Panthers lost 16-5. Last week’s Southeastern Conference player of the week, Stephen Head, continued his hot hitting this season against Eastern going 3-3 with three runs batted in and two homeruns.

Overshadowing Head’s four RBI was Alex Presley’s six RBI. Presley went 2-3 at the plate, which included a grandslam homerun off Kyle Widegren in the bottom of the third inning giving the Rebels a 6-0 advantage.

The junior college transfer, Widegren, was coming off a stellar performance in his first appearance in a Panther uniform against Southwest Missouri State, where he gave the Eastern five strong innings.

On Saturday, Widegren was badgered for 10 runs in 3 1/3 innings of work, which earned him his first loss of the season. He threw 88 pitches striking out four and walking four.

Lefty Brae Wright was the winning pitcher for the Rebels, boosting his record to 3-0 on the season.

The Panthers were led offensively by Kyle Haines and Pete Stone. Haines was 2-3 while Stone was 1-4 with two RBI.

The second game was a pitchers’ duel in a much closer tilt as the Panthers lost 3-1.

Kirk Miller pitched eight innings giving up three runs while striking out five and walking three. Miller threw 123 pitches in a complete game. However, Miller was charged with his first loss of the season.

Charlie Babineaux’s two-run homer in the fourth inning was all the offense the Rebels would need. Pettway and Cooper Osteen also contributed to the Rebels offense. Pettway was 3-3 with two runs scored and one RBI. Osteen went 2-3 with a walk.

The Panthers only run came in the fifth inning when Paul Dean hit a one-out single. Dean then advanced to third on an error by Holliman on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on a wild pitch.

Eastern was led by outfielder Jeff Cammann, who went 2-4 at the dish.

The double header loss brings the Panthers record to 1-4 on the season. The Panthers next series will be at Southern Mississippi on March 12-14.