Ole Miss Baseball began its super regional with a 6-4 win over Auburn at Plainsman Park on Friday, June 5. Right fielder Brayden Randle continued to get timely hits with two, two-out run-scoring singles, while third baseman Judd Utermark and designated hitter Collin Reuter both hit two-run homers in the win.
Hunter Elliott started for the Rebels. It was not his best outing, but the Ole Miss defense backed him up with two double plays. They also wiggled out of a few jams throughout the contest. Hudson Calhoun and Walker Hooks continued to shove out of the bullpen.
In order to keep his bat in the lineup, Randle got his first career start in right field, shifting Tristan Bissetta to left. Friday was his first time playing in the outfield since he was in 14-youth baseball. In the second inning, the two flipped positions. Head coach Mike Bianco explained why in his postgame press conference.
“The truth is I didn’t know the 14U story. I just took it as he’s never played before, and I didn’t want the first time that he ran out there for the sun to be in his face,” Bianco said.
Once the sun went down, Randle moved over to left field.
Both starters worked quick first innings. Auburn’s Andreas Alvarez struck out the side and Elliott punched two out and got an infield pop up.
Center fielder Hayden Federico got hit by a pitch in the second to give the Rebels their first baserunner of the game, then shortstop Owen Paino singled to get two runners on with one out. Randle came through on an 0-2 count with a run-scoring single to right.
Elliott walked the leadoff man in the second. Bissetta, now in right, caught the first out on the warning track before an infield single put two on. Another walk loaded the bases. The Rebels turned a 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam with the lead intact.
Auburn started the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles. Elliott hit a batter to load the bases and Tiger catcher Chase Fralick hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Ole Miss got another double play to strand two more runners. Third baseman Judd Utermark fielded a grounder, stepped on third and fired to first for the 5-3 inning-ender.
Catcher Austin Fawley doubled with two outs in the fourth. He would have been out by a mile at second, but the throw sailed over the second baseman. Randle delivered another RBI single to retake the lead, 2-1.
Elliott walked a batter in the fourth and gave up a two-out single, but he worked out of the inning with a fly out to right.
Second baseman Dom Decker reached on a one-out single in the fifth. Utermark drove him in with a towering home run over the 37-foot green monster wall in left to make it 4-1.
The homer was Utermark’s second of the postseason. He spoke about the hit after the game.
“It felt good. I knew that, obviously, there’s a massive green monster wall out there in left,” Utermark said. “It’s one of the reasons why I love playing here. It’s cool to have something different on your field, so I knew I had to hit it high enough, and I definitely hit it high enough. It was just a matter of was it going to go the distance.”
Auburn had two runners on in the fifth with no outs. Elliott got Fralick to pop out on the infield for the first out. The Tigers cut the lead to two with an RBI single, putting runners on the corners as well.
The run ended Elliott’s outing. Head coach Mike Bianco brought Calhoun in.
Elliott pitched 4 ⅓ innings, allowed two earned runs on six hits, walked four and struck out two. He certainly was not sharp, but left the game with the lead. The lefty threw 76 pitches, just 41 for strikes and only induced five swings and misses.
“He (Elliott) can have games like that where he looks like it’s not going to his night, but he just makes pitches and gets off the field,” Bianco said. “He’s just got as much guts as anybody that’s ever put on this uniform.”
Calhoun struck out the first batter he faced swinging and escaped the jam with a fly out to Federico.
In the sixth, Randle drew a two-out, full count walk to chase the starter from the game. Reliever LJ Cormier came on in relief. Designated hitter Collin Reuter was the first to face him and hit a two-run, line drive homer off the batters eye on the first pitch, 6-2. Reuter’s homer left the ballpark in a hurry.
Calhoun surrendered a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth. He got the next two batters out, then the runner stole second and scored on a double, 6-3. He came back from a 3-0 count to get the third out swinging.
Calhoun’s night ended after he walked the first batter in the bottom of the eighth. Hooks came in for a six-out save. Bianco spoke about Calhoun’s performance after the game.
“(With) the way Huddy (Calhoun) was throwing the ball, we thought he was in control and really (could) get through the seventh, but we were hitter to hitter,” Bianco said. “(I’m) just proud of him. He’s shown that he deserves it. He’s earned that opportunity.”
Hooks stranded the runner on first with a line out and two swinging strikeouts. In the ninth, the Rebels could not add on and went to the bottom of the inning needing just three outs for the game one win.
Auburn cut the deficit to two with a solo homer to begin the frame. Hooks got a fly ball for the first out of the inning, then hit the next batter to bring the game-tying run to the plate. Bissetta caught two consecutive line drives in right to end the game.
What’s next?
Ole Miss Baseball will look to take the Auburn Super Regional with a win on Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m. to advance to the College World Series. ESPN will broadcast the game.
