Ninth-Inning Heroics Push Ole Miss Baseball Past No. 21 Florida, 5-2, as Rebels Secure Series Win

Ole Miss baseball secured a crucial 5-2 rubber-game victory over the No. 21 Florida Gators Saturday for the Rebels’ second SEC Series victory of the season.  to advance to 22-11 on the season and 5-7 in SEC play.

Ole Miss (22-11, 5-7 SEC) surged to victory behind a five-run ninth inning, where Judd Utermark launched a two-run home run to tie things up.

Tie Ballgame. Utermark answers. pic.twitter.com/OIAwN2OFZ9

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

Ole Miss then loaded the bases and scored all three to take the 5-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

HAYDEN FEDERICO😤 pic.twitter.com/PT0cMAM25D

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

Rebels starter Cade Townsend turned in a great night on the mound, throwing 6 innings and tallying 6 strikeouts, while allowing just 4 hits, no walks, and allowing just one run. His pitch count topped out at 83 pitches, as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury just a few weeks ago.

Townsend finished his outing, sitting down eight Gator batters in a row — which included back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth.

B2B Ks caught looking👀

headed into T5 pic.twitter.com/B9HLFW0un1

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

Gators’ starter Russell Sandefer had a career night, notching a career-high 11 strikeouts over 7 spectacular innings, allowing just two hits and one walk.

Neither side recorded a baserunner until the bottom of the third when Jacob Kendall drilled a leadoff triple into right field, where he would eventually score on a wild pitch two batters later.

Ole Miss gained its first base runner in the fourth when Dom Decker hit a leadoff single, but to no avail, as Sandefer continued dealing on the mound, sitting down the next three batters with two strikeouts.

This became a theme for Ole Miss over the night as they recorded just four base runners in the first eight innings.

The Gators earned their first base runner since the fourth inning when Landon Stripling greeted JP Robertson with a leadoff single, later advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hayden Hurst joined him on the base path with a walk before Koly Myers roped a two-out RBI single into center field. That gave Florida a 2-0 lead.

This brought JP Robertson’s night to an end after just 0.2 innings pitched. Left-hander Walker Hooks took over and was quickly helped by Decker, who made an impressive diving catch to end the seventh.

Joshua Whritenour took the mound for the Gators in the eighth, bringing Sandefer’s night to an end. However, Florida’s pitching did not skip a beat as Whritenour only allowed a two-out walk, but recorded two strikeouts in the frame, and a fly out to conclude it.

Hooks entered the eighth for his first full inning of relief and kept Ole Miss in the game, producing the pitching staff’s fifth 1-2-3 inning of the night.

Florida stuck with Whritenour for the ninth, but he lost control and walked Tristan Bissetta to open the final inning. Utermark crushed a game-tying two-run homer over the left field wall, with no one out. Ole Miss greeted a pair of bullpen arms with a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases without any outs.

With the bases juiced, Brayden Randle delivered with a sacrifice fly as Ole Miss captured a 3-2 lead.

Randle’s 12th RBI of the season, Rebs take the lead‼️ pic.twitter.com/F7mLkcbHd9

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

Hooks stayed in for Ole Miss to begin the ninth and allowed a leadoff single up the middle, but a lineout and back-to-back strikeouts allowed the Rebels to hold on to the win and the series victory.

.@Walker_Hooks9 dealing🔥 pic.twitter.com/kpCrEUDi1Y

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

A Look Ahead

Ole Miss returns to the diamond on Tuesday at 6:30 P.M. CT as the Rebels host the Alcorn State Braves in a midweek clash before a major rivalry weekend against the LSU Tigers.