Ole Miss baseball drops first game of season; Rebs fall to Baylor, 6-5, in extra innings

HOUSTON — Ranked No. 25 and presented with its first true neutral-site test of the season, Ole Miss entered the Bruce Bolt College Classic with an opportunity to validate its early momentum. Instead, the Rebels walked out of Daikin Park on Friday afternoon with their first blemish of the year.

Final From Today’s Game. Ole Miss loses their first game of the season. pic.twitter.com/lnOhMfMH0C

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) February 28, 2026

Baylor handed Ole Miss a 6-5 loss in 10 innings, capitalizing in the extra frame to spoil a night that featured both power and punch from the Rebel lineup.

Coach Mike Bianco discusses the Rebels’ first loss of the season, a 6-5 defeat to Baylor in extra innings.

Hunter Elliott notched a career-high 11 strikeouts after a rough first inning. I asked Bianco how his pitcher always seems able to make those kinds of adjustments. pic.twitter.com/gBrvhaHpXA

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) February 28, 2026

If there was a constant for Ole Miss offensively, it was Tristan Bissetta. The senior outfielder delivered two thunderous swings that nearly carried the Rebels to victory. His fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning pushed Ole Miss in front 3-1.

GONE 💣#HottyToddy x @TristanBissetta

B5 Ole Miss 3 | Baylor 1 pic.twitter.com/nPiqfjPXDG

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 27, 2026

His fifth — a clutch blast in the eighth — erased a Baylor lead and reignited the dugout.

IT IS GONE💣#HottyToddy x @TristanBissetta pic.twitter.com/lH2v4XnsJA

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 28, 2026

The timing of that second swing made it especially significant.

In the top half of the eighth, Baylor flipped the script. Hudson Calhoun, who entered in relief of Hunter Elliott, issued a two-out walk before surrendering a single to right. Hunter Snow followed with a three-run homer that suddenly swung momentum toward the Bears.

Bissetta wasted little time grabbing it back.

Leading off the bottom half, he launched his second home run of the afternoon to tie the game at 4-4. Ole Miss continued to apply pressure. Collin Reuter was hit by a pitch, Owen Paino entered as a pinch-runner, and a Will Furniss single moved him into scoring position. Austin Fawley’s sacrifice fly brought home the go-ahead run, briefly putting the Rebels back in control.

But Baylor refused to fade.

JJ Kennett delivered a game-tying single to right field, knotting the score at 5-5 and forcing extra innings. In the 10th, Tyce Armstrong drove in the automatic runner to give Baylor the lead once again. Ole Miss, which had fought back multiple times, could not produce a response in its final at-bat, managing no hits in the bottom half of the inning.

The loss came despite strong pitching stretches and a career night from Elliott in terms of strikeouts.

The Rebel ace endured another uneven first inning, walking two batters, hitting another, and allowing a run on a fielder’s choice — a continuation of early-game struggles that have surfaced in recent starts. But once he settled in, Elliott was dominant. He finished with five innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits while striking out a career-high 11. At one point, he retired six consecutive hitters via strikeout across the fourth and fifth innings.

.@elliotthunter10 delivered!!

Hunter Elliott hits a career high of 11 strikeouts in the top of the 5th!! pic.twitter.com/WZ3OX9jXWI

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 27, 2026

Ole Miss’ pitching staff as a whole racked up 20 strikeouts, an impressive total in defeat.

Offensively, production was limited beyond Bissetta and a handful of others. Bissetta, Reuter, and Furniss were the only Rebels to record multiple hits, with Reuter going 2-for-3 and reaching base three times. The Rebels drew four walks but also struck out nine times, struggling to string together consistent pressure.

The Rebels initially tied the game in the second inning on a Baylor defensive miscue before Bissetta’s fifth-inning blast gave them their first lead. But in a contest defined by momentum swings, Baylor ultimately delivered the final one.

Caleb Bunch earned the win for the Bears after striking out three over two innings of relief, while Landon Waters was tagged with the loss after allowing the decisive run in the 10th.

For a team seeking to prove it belongs in the national conversation, Friday’s result was a reminder of how thin the margins can be against Power 4 competition.

Ole Miss Batting Leaders vs. Baylor

Tristan Bissetta: 2-5, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 K
Collin Reuter: 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HBP

Pitchers of Record

WP: Caleb Bunch (3-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K
LP: Landon Waters (0-1) 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 K

Next Up

Ole Miss will continue play at the Bruce Bolt College Classic Saturday morning against Ohio State. The Buckeyes fell 5-4 in the first game of the day Friday. First-pitch is set for 11:05 a.m. and will be streamed on the Houston Astros YouTube Channel.