Slade Smith might have had words with John Pawlowski if the Auburn coach wasn’t going to let him take the mound in the ninth Saturday afternoon.

The sophomore from Fort Payne had already put up six solid innings in relief as the Tigers clawed back into the game against Ole Miss and took the lead, and he wasn’t letting anyone else finish the game off for him.

“I would’ve argued with (Pawlowski) if he wouldn’t let me,” Smith said. “The whole team has worked so hard. To see it pay off like that was really rewarding.”

Fortunately for Smith, Pawlowski felt the same way, and his confidence was rewarded in a 1-2-3 ninth that sealed a 9-7 Tigers win to take the series against Ole Miss at Plainsman Park.

Smith (2-0) picked up his first win since the season opener against Arkansas State on Feb. 18 in his first outing of more than five innings since the opener, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out four in seven innings of relief for starter Jon Luke Jacobs.

Pawlowski said Cory Luckie, the starter originally scheduled for Sunday, was less than 100 percent and Dillon Ortman, Auburn’s closer we of late, was unavailable due to illness.

So, it was Smith’s show.

“Whether it’s pretty or not, your goal is to go out there and put up zeroes,” Smith said. “Let your team work behind you.”

While Smith was putting up zeroes, the Auburn (22-17, 9-9 SEC) offense was whittling away at a 5-1 lead for Ole Miss (24-17, 9-9).

Run-scoring groundouts from Cullen Wacker and Creede Simpson and a Casey McElroy sacrifice fly cut the Ole Miss lead to 5-4, just in time for Matt Snyder to lace a two-run double to put the Rebels back up by three in the fifth.

Auburn managed a run in each of the first five frames but still trailed 7-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

“We’re fortunate that we were able to scratch,” Pawlowski said. “We were hoping at some point we would have a multiple-run inning.”

Kevin Patterson was more than happy to oblige.

With runners on first and third and one out in the seventh, Patterson took a 2-0 pitch deep to right, barely clearing the wall and a leaping attempt by Matt Smith for a three-run home run to give the Tigers their first lead of the game, 8-7.

It was Patterson’s second home run of the series – both of which came on 2-0 counts – and seventh of the season, though it lacked a little bit of the grandeur his screaming liner for a solo shot had Thursday night.

“I didn’t know if I got on top of it enough to get it out,” Patterson said. “Every batter should be expecting that fastball (on 2-0). The pitcher doesn’t want to go to 3-0, so he should give you a good pitch to hit.”

The Tigers tacked on an insurance run with a Wes Gilmer RBI single in the eighth, and Smith set the Rebels down without any fuss in the ninth for the win.

Smith was in the Tigers’ rotation to start the season before a move to the bullpen after four shaky starts.

“The bottom line is these kids understand that when they get the opportunity, whether it’s as a starter or reliever, they’ve just got to find a way to contribute,” Pawlowski said. “(Smith) found a way to contribute.”

Alex Yarbrough was 3-for-5 with two RBI for the Rebels, Matt Tracy socked a three-run homer in the second inning, and R.J. Hively (0-2), who served the home run ball to Patterson, took the loss.

Justin Fradejas was 4-for-5, Tony Caldwell was 3-for-5 with two doubles, and Gilmer was 2-for-3 for the Tigers.

Auburn is 7-2 its past three SEC series after starting the conference slate 2-7.

“We dug ourselves a huge hole and we said the only way we’re going to get out of it is we have to dig ourselves out of it,” Pawlowski said. “Dig yourself out, find a way to the top. Our kids have stayed resilient.“