Ole Miss Baseball squared up against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Tuesday, Feb. 27 in an evening matchup that ended with a Rebel victory. After a rocky start to the season, Ole Miss needs to keep finding success in these midweek, non-series games in order to stay ahead of their record, and they did just that in this game.
The Rebels came out strong against the Trojans when designated hitter Will Furniss scored a three-run homer at the bottom of the first inning, a play that gave Ole Miss the lead and set the tone for the rest of the match.
Starting Pitcher Wes Mendes made a statement on the mound, leaving the Trojans scoreless in the first inning of play despite the bases being loaded.
Little Rock’s Ty Rhoades snuck in a home run during the second inning to put the Trojans on the scoreboard, with the Rebels still leading 3-1. Mendes bounced back from the mishap and carried out the rest of the second inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
It was not long before Little Rock answered the Rebels again, with outfielder Luke Pectol securing another home run for the Trojans. With just a one-run difference at 3-2 going into the bottom of the second inning, Mendes artfully struck out the last batter to keep the Rebels ahead.
Mendes ended his time on the mound with two earned runs, two walks, two hits and five total strikeouts, as well as several clutch plays for the Rebels. Mendes was relieved at the top of the fourth by right-handed pitcher Mason Morris.
Infielders Ethan Lege and Jackson Ross helped earn a four-run advantage for Ole Miss after loading the bases to open the fourth inning. They contributed to even more runs in the fourth after Lege bombed a sac fly and Ross pulled out a double to push the Rebels up 6-2.
Little Rock scrambled to close the score gap, and Pectol added a two-run home run to push the Trojans behind Ole Miss by two at 6-4.
After a scoreless end to the fifth inning, the Rebels held their ground by allowing no runs by the Trojans. With bases loaded, Ole Miss outfielder Treyson Hughes managed to sneak in a hit to help Lege beat the throw home. Then, Captain Reagan Burfurd secured a double to bring home two more runs, putting the Rebels up 9-4 over the Trojans at the end of the sixth inning.
Morris was eventually replaced by right-handed-pitcher Braden Jones at the top of the seventh inning, finishing with three runs, two earned runs, three hits, two strikeouts and two walks. Little Rock found the momentum to add another run to the board after a sac fly in the last innings of the game, making the score 9-5.
The Rebels and the Trojans each found another point in the end of the seventh inning and top of the eighth inning, making the score 10-6. Senior pitcher Mitch Murrell was then thrown in to finish the game, and he maintained the Rebels’ large lead.
After infielder Regan Burford pulled out a homerun, Murell capped off the game with three quick strikeouts to give Ole Miss the win.
Securing a midweek contest on Ole Miss home turf, the Rebels improved to a 5-4 record in the early season. Ole Miss is back on Wednesday, Feb. 28, competing against a talented Missouri State team at Swayze Field at 4 p.m.
