No. 13 Ole Miss Goes Quiet on Offense in 12-3 Loss to No. 3 Arkansas

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss struggled at the plate and on the mound in a game-two loss, mustering just four hits while Arkansas launched five home runs in a 12-3 contest that evened the opening SEC series.

The Rebels fell to 15-3 with the loss (1-1 in the SEC).

Game Recap

Senior right-hander Riley Maddox took the mound for his first SEC start of the 2025 season. The Rebel starter allowed the Razorbacks to put a pair of runners on before recording the first out. Shortly after the runners advanced to second and third, Brent Iredale’s sacrifice fly into center field was deep enough to score a run for Arkansas before Maddox retired the side.

Hayden Federico led the bottom of the first with a strikeout, but strike three got past the Arkansas catcher and the freshman sprinted down to first to put the leadoff man on for Ole Miss. Luke Hill then roped a ball into the right-center field gap, putting runners on second and third.

A walk and a hit by pitch issued by Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle in the next two at-bats knotted the score at 1-1, and another pitch got behind the Razorback catcher shortly after that allowed Hill to score and make it a 2-1 Rebel lead through one played.

Maddox made quick work of the Razorbacks in the top of the second, sitting them down in order and recording his first strike out of the night along the way. Federico would draw a two out walk in the bottom half of the inning for the Ole Miss offense, but the Rebels could not make anything of it as Gaeckle retired the side.

Checks Out ✅@riley_maddox1 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Q7HDrjoxdV

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 15, 2025

In the top of the third, Maddox hit the leadoff man for Arkansas and gave up a single to the next batter. After picking up two outs with both runners still on base, the Ole Miss starter issued a walk and loaded the bases. However, a fly out to center field stranded the bases loaded allowing Maddox to complete consecutive scoreless frame.

Similar to the previous frame for the Ole Miss bats, Humphrey reached for the Rebels via a fielding error but Gaeckle was able to limit the damage and retire the side. Maddox then came back out in the top of the fourth to sit the Razorbacks down in order for a third-straight scoreless frame.

Maddox returned to the mound in the top of the fifth but the Arkansas offense began to heat up. A leadoff single followed by a two-run shot off the bat of Charles Davalan gave the Razorbacks a 3-2 lead, and the damage did not stop there. Will McCausland came into to replace Maddox, but the Aloy brothers, Wehiwa and Kuhio, made it back-to-back-to-back home runs for Arkansas.

Maddox was credited for the loss in game two, his second of the season (3-2).

A hit by pitch and a pair of singles scored another for the Razorbacks, knocking McCausland out of the game as Ryne Rodriguez came in to replace him. With nobody out, Rodriguez gave up a double down the right field line that plated one. A fielding error followed by a sacrifice fly made it a 9-2 Razorback lead before the Rebels finally put an end to the eight-run frame.

Lookin for a response, Hill pushed a ball through the left side for a one-out single followed by Mitchell Sanford reaching on a fielder’s choice. Ryan Moerman singled through the six-hole with two down, but it was Arkansas reliever Parker Coil ending the frame with a punch out shortly after the Rebels put two runners on.

Alex Canney recorded the final out in the top of the fifth and returned to the mound for the Rebels in the sixth. Despite giving up another hit to the Razorbacks, Canney picked up a pair of strikeouts on his way to posting a scoreless frame.

Alex Canney’s final line on Saturday:
2.0 IP, 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 Ks pic.twitter.com/bDjMaiRWSm

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 16, 2025

With two down in the bottom half of the inning, Austin Fawley put Ole Miss on the board for the first time since the opening inning with a solo shot deep into the sky in center field. However, Coil punched out three in the frame to limit the damage for Arkansas.

.@fawley_austin launches his fifth homer of the season pic.twitter.com/xlmqMZRiHk

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 16, 2025

Canney began the seventh on the mound for Ole Miss and gave up a single before recording the next two outs. Junior college transfer Landon Waters was called down from the bullpen to replace him and eventually retired the side with a strikeout. Righty Aiden Jimenez replaced Coil on the mound for Arkansas and sat the Rebels down in order in the bottom half of the seventh.

Similar to the fourth inning, the Rebels and the Razorbacks were sat down in order by Waters and Jimenez. The Ole Miss lineup ended the game with three consecutive hitless frames.

The Razorbacks led off the top of the ninth with back-to-back home runs from Landon Maxwell and Nolan Souza, extending the Ole Miss deficit to 11-3. Waters was then replaced with Patrick Galle with nobody out. The sophomore righty gave up a pair of singles that plated one more run for Arkansas before retiring the side.

Ole Miss went 4-32 in the game (.125 average) and 0-3 with runners in scoring position in a much different showing at the plate compared to the game one victory.

Up next

The Rebels will be back at Swayze Field for game three of the SEC series against the Razorbacks on Sunday, March 16, at 1:30 p.m. The rubber match will be televised on the SEC Network+.