Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short for Ole Miss Baseball In Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – (Release) Ole Miss (18-15, 3-9 SEC) couldn’t avoid the sweep Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 1 Arkansas (27-3, 11-1 SEC) for third game in a row.

Ethan Groff went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the loss.

Mason Nichols drew the start for the Rebels on the mound, the first of his career. The junior opened the game with a near-immaculate inning. After a first pitch ball, Nichols threw nine-straight strikes to punch out the side in the opening frame.

Nichols allowed two baserunners in the second inning and loaded the bases in the third but was able to escape both jams while adding another strikeout to his total.

The Rebel offense had just one hit, a single from Will Furniss, and two walks in the first four innings.

Arkansas got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out solo home run from Nolan Souza. After getting another out in the fourth, Nichols was relieved by Josh Mallitz who finished the inning. Nichols gave up just one run and three hits while striking out four batters in 3.2 innings of work in his first career start.

Ole Miss responded in the fifth inning, using three singles, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead. Andrew Fischer and Groff each picked up RBI in the inning.

The Rebels’ lead didn’t last long as the Razorbacks responded in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs to move back in front at 3-2.

Judd Utermark and Brayden Randle tied the game up in the sixth inning, as Utermark hit a one-out double and Randle brought him home with a single to left field. It was Utermark’s third double of the week.

Arkansas broke things open in the seventh inning as Souza hit his second home run of the day, this time a three-RBI bomb to right center. They would add one more run before the inning was over and take a 7-3 lead into the eighth.

The Rebels put together a one-out rally in the ninth inning as Luke Hill singled, Fischer walked, and Groff drove in a run to cut the lead to three. That would be all for the visiting team however as the next two batters were retired.

Ole Miss returns home next week to face Murray State on Tuesday and Mississippi State starting on Friday.

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.