Ole Miss loses rubber match 12-9, giving Arkansas the series win in Oxford
Oxford, Miss. – Ole Miss hosted Arkansas for a rubber match this afternoon, losing 12-9 in a hard-fought battle between both squads. Following the game, Head Coach Mike Bianco had this to say on today’s game.
“It’s not good enough. This is what happens in the SEC. I just told the guys, it’s nine weeks of this to come. You have to play well, and we didn’t play well enough.”
– Bianco on today’s loss
To look closer into the contest, here’s everything that went down in Oxford this afternoon from start to finish.
Arkansas takes the series finale 12-9.
We head to Pearl to face Southern Miss on Tuesday.
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 16, 2025
Game Recap
Mason Nichols took the bump for Ole Miss, setting the tone with two strikeouts and a groundout, followed up with a Luke Hill home run in the bottom of the first. Hill’s fourth home run of the year left the yard in a hurry, knocking in Hayden Federico from first base and putting the Rebs ahead 2-0.
Nichols worked a clean slate through the second and third innings, allowing the Rebel bats to get back to work and extend the lead in the third. Mitch Sanford worked himself to second base with a double, followed by an 111 mph bomb off the bat of Judd Utermark. His two-run homer put Ole Miss ahead 4-0.
Arkansas responded in the fourth inning, blooping an RBI single into right field to score their first run of the day. With men on first and second and two outs, Nichols escaped the jam and sent the Rebs back to the dugout, only allowing one run.
In the fifth, Nichols nearly escaped another jam but allowed a single to third base off the bat of Kuhio Aloy. With runners on first and second and a 4-2 lead, Mason was relieved by freshman Walker Hooks.
In his first batter faced, Hooks gave up an RBI single but responded quickly, forcing a fly out to center field, ending the top half of the inning.
Back on the mound for Hooks, the Razorback offense got into their groove, taking Walker out of the game and leaving Brayden Randle to face the top of the lineup. Arkansas not only tied the game at this point but also took the lead with the help of a two-run homer to go ahead 7-4.
Showing fight, Will Furniss answered with a solo shot to start the bottom of the sixth, bringing the game back within two runs. Three batters later, Owen Paino knocked a two-out double to bring Federico to the plate to face relief pitcher Christian Foutch. After walking Federico and hitting Hill with a pitch, Ryan Moerman stepped up to the dish and grounded out to second base to end the inning.
Moving into the top half of the seventh, Jones’s struggles persisted through a double and a pair of singles. Allowing the Razorbacks to get their eighth run, Connor Spencer was called from the bullpen to face the bottom half of the Arkansas lineup, getting two quick outs and getting the bats back into the hands of Ole Miss.
On the first pitch in the bottom of the seventh, Mitch Sanford launched a rocket into the student section, giving the Rebs their sixth run of the day. Started by another hit from Utermark, the Rebs quickly advanced runners into scoring position and manufactured two additional runs to tie the game. RBIs came from Austin Fawley and Owen Paino.
The momentum was carried by Federico, who worked a walk and sent Hill to the plate with two outs. Despite grounding out to the third baseman, the Rebs had tied the game, making it 8-8.
The Arkansas offense stayed red hot, loading the bases with one out. Credit to Hill and Paino, Spencer rolled a double play and avoided any damage, keeping the game tied.
On the offensive side of things, Sanford worked his way onto first with a walk, followed by a bloop shot to left field. In the same play, Mitch turned on the jets and made it home safely with the help of a gusty send home from Mike Clement.
REBS LEAD!@Mitchell__4 scores from first on an RBI single for @WillFurniss! pic.twitter.com/kILLqWEzaz
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 16, 2025
Despite Ole Miss leading 9-8, an infield error and misread pop fly to right field started a rally for Arkansas that led them to victory. The Razorbacks sparked together a four-run inning and left the Rebs scoreless in the bottom of the ninth.
Mike Bianco’s Rebels have lost their first SEC series of 2025 and will look to regroup on Tuesday against Southern Miss.
