TUSCALOOSA | There were postgame fireworks at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Friday night, but Matt Bentley’s in-game fireworks rendered them redundant.

Bentley, the University of Alabama first baseman, slugged two home runs, including the eventual game-winner in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Crimson Tide defeated Ole Miss 6-5 in the opening game of a three-game Southeastern Conference series on Friday night.

Tide reliever Josh Copeland worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out predicament in the top of the ninth inning to preserve the win.

Alabama has now won five consecutive games, three in SEC play. The win puts Alabama at 12-10 overall and 3-4 in the SEC, good for a first-place tie with Auburn and Ole Miss atop the West Division.

The teams were tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth when Bentley hit his home run, a solo shot to straightaway centerfield off Rebel closer Scott Biddle.

“Our approach to [Biddle] was that he throws a lot of splits and sliders and he gets a lot of strikeouts because of guys swinging at balls in the dirt,” Bentley said. “We tried to lay off that. Luckily, I got a fastball. I didn’t know it was out of the park. I was running as fast as I could.”

“This is a huge win for us. [Rebel starting pitcher] Lance Lynn is a competitor. He’s going to be a big leaguer. But we were able to get a lead and win.”

Bentley said the key to Alabama’s five-game winning streak has been “attitude.”

“It’s totally changed,” Bentley said. “We’re playing to win now instead of going out and playing not to lose.”

Ole Miss jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings against Tide starter Austin Hyatt. Matt Smith had an RBI single in the first inning and Sean Stuyverson hit a two-run home run in the top of the second.

But Hyatt weathered the storm, retiring 13 consecutive Ole Miss hitters at one stretch as Alabama fought back to take the lead.

The Crimson Tide cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning as catcher Alex Avila blasted a two-run home run off Lynn, who had retired the Crimson Tide in order in the first three innings.

“That was huge,” said Tide head coach Jim Wells when asked about the Avila home run. “Their guy was throwing a no-hitter through the first three innings and making it look easy. Those two runs gave us the confidence that we could come back. But we told the guys that someone other than Avila was going to have to step up because he might not get another pitch to hit. And Bentley did step up.”

Alabama then took the lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Rhoden started the rally with a one-out double. After a Jake Smith ground out, Rutledge tied the game with an RBI double, then scored the go-ahead run on Ross Wilson’s triple.

The Tide extended its lead to 5-3 on Matt Bentley’s solo home run, his xxth of the year, in the bottom of the sixth.

It was then Ole Miss’ turn to battle back. The Rebels scored two runs and knocked Hyatt from the game in the top of the seventh inning, tying the contest at 5-5.

Copeland worked out of trouble in the top of the eighth inning as the Rebels put runners on second and third with one out before Copeland struck out Tim Ferguson and Stuyverson to end the inning.

Copeland had to battle out of even more trouble in the top of the ninth.

Ole Miss catcher Brett Basham led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Zach Miller. Henry then bunted back to the mound, but the Tide failed to cover second base, allowing Miller to advance on the sacrifice. Michael Hubbard walked and Logan Power singled to lead the bases for the Rebels.

But Copeland retired Cody Overbeck, the Rebels’ leading hitter, on a foul pop to first base, then ended the game by retiring Smith on a fielder’s choice.

“We had to go to Copeland earlier than we would have liked,” Wells said. “But we had a chance to win. We weren’t going to try and piecemeal it with two or three guys. At the end, he just challenged them with his fastball and got them to hit it at somebody.”

The game was played before the largest crowd of the season with an announced attendance of 4,828. Bentley acknowledged the crowd by pointing into the student section after his second home run.

“I’ve been here five years and that was the most people I have ever seen in the student section, so that was a tribute to them,” Bentley said.

Ole Miss fell to 15-10 with its fourth straight loss.

Copeland (1-1) was the winning pitcher, while Biddle (1-1) took the loss.

The two teams will meet again today at 4 p.m.

Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0225.