The Ole Miss Rebels Baseball team opened up with their first game at Swayze against Central Arkansas, winning in extra innings with a final score of 4-2.
Right-handed pitcher Alex Canney got the start on the mound for the Rebels, hoping to build upon strong pitching performances last weekend.
Canney opened up the game with two strikeouts, walking the third batter. Luckily, that did not come back to bite him as the next batter would fly out to end the top of the first inning. Ole Miss then went three up three down to end the first inning.
Canney slowly got in his groove and pitched a three up-three down inning of his own, with one strikeout. The Rebels got on base in the second due to two walks but failed to capitalize on it and left two runners stranded on base. The score was still 0-0 with neither team having a hit but both teams getting on base after two.
Arkansas State got the game’s first hit as a ball hit back towards the pitcher allowed their runner, Raul Torres, to get on base. The Rebels got out of the inning without any damage done and were able to get back on the offensive still knotted at zero.
Second baseman Brayden Randle got the team’s first hit, a single up the middle. The Rebels were unable to produce any more offense in the third inning, after three straight players went down.
Owen Hancock came in for Canney at the start of the fourth. Canney headed to the dugout with four strikeouts, one walk and a single hit allowed. Hancock walked the second batter that he faced but made up for it and struck out the last batter of the side and ended the top half of the inning with no real harm done.
Two straight walks caused a pitching change for Arkansas State. They instantly forced a double play and got rid of most of the momentum the two walks had built up. Ole Miss quickly gained that momentum back as Judd Utermark stole home to put the Rebels on the board.
Brayden Jones took the mound in the fifth, as Hancock only pitched one inning. Arkansas State went three up-three down to end the top of the fifth, as the Rebels looked to extend their one run lead even more.
Ole Miss had the bases loaded with no outs. Luke Hill was the innings first out as he struck out swinging. Isaac Humphrey also went down on strikes, with the inning falling on Utermark.
In a disappointing end to the inning, Utermark flew out to left field and left all three runners stranded on base.
The Rebels had a tricky bases loaded situation in the sixth but got out of it without giving up a run. Despite holding the lead, Ole Miss struggled on offense. They went 2-19 through six innings at the plate.
Owen Paino scored in the seventh off a double-play and extended the lead to two. Nothing else of note happened until the ninth with Connor Spencer closing the game out for the Rebels. Spencer struggled, with Arkansas State scoring two runs.
Ole Miss had the chance to win the game going into the bottom of the ninth. They did not capitalize and headed to extra innings.
After a double play to end the top of the inning, Ole Miss had yet another chance to secure the game with a single score. Utermark had his hero moment, walking the game off in the bottom of the tenth with a two-run home run.
Who’s next?
The Rebels play again Friday, Feb. 21, hosting Eastern Kentucky. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. The game can be streamed on SEC Network+.
