No. 9 Ole Miss traveled to Lexington, Ky., for a weekend series against the Wildcats on April 4-5. After dropping the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, the Rebels bounced back with come-from-behind wins in the next two games to take the series.
Game One (lost 5-4)
Ole Miss showed plenty of fight in Friday’s series opener at Kentucky, fighting back from an early four-run deficit before ultimately falling 5-4 in extra innings.
The Wildcats jumped ahead early with a pair of runs in the first and added two more in the third to take a 4–0 lead. The Rebels broke through in the fifth when Austin Fawley led off with a single, followed by a hit from Hayden Federico to put two on. Luke Hill came through with a clutch two-run single to right, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
Hill continued his hot day at the plate, launching a solo homer in the seventh to make it 4–3. Then in the eighth, Fawley sparked another rally with a two-out double, and Federico delivered again with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game.
Ole Miss had chances late, threatening in both the ninth and tenth innings but could not push across the go-ahead run. Kentucky eventually walked it off in the bottom of the tenth on an unearned run.
On the mound, Hunter Elliott worked five innings, while Mason Morris was excellent in relief, pitching four shutout frames and striking out five.
Hill finished 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Fawley reached base four times and scored twice, while Federico added two hits and a game-tying RBI.
Game Two (won 3-1)
In the nightcap of Friday’s doubleheader, the Rebels bounced back behind stellar pitching and a late offensive spark to win 3–1 and even the series.
Kentucky struck first with an unearned run in the second inning, but Ole Miss answered in the fourth. Isaac Humphrey singled to right and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Federico to even the score at 1–1.
Both teams struggled to produce much offense the rest of the way, thanks to dominant outings from both pitching staffs. For the Rebels, the trio of Riley Maddox, Ryne Rodriguez and Will McCausland combined to allow just one unearned run on four hits, striking out nine without issuing a walk.
Tied 1–1 in the top of the ninth, Federico led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout. That set the stage for sophomore Campbell Smithwick, who stepped in as a pinch hitter and launched a go-ahead two-run homer to right field—his third of the season.
McCausland slammed the door in the bottom half, striking out the side to secure the win and notch the save, evening the series at 1-1.
Game Three (won 5-4)
The Rebels took an early lead when a Kentucky error extended the inning, and Humphrey capitalized by lifting a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Judd Utermark, giving Ole Miss a 1-0 advantage.
Kentucky quickly responded, tying the game in the bottom half with an RBI single from Devin Burkes. The Wildcats took the lead in the third inning when Patrick Herrera drove in a run with a single to center, making it 2-1.
Humphrey came through once again in the fifth for the Rebels, launching a solo home run to right field to even the score at 2-2.
From that point, both teams struggled to capitalize on opportunities, and the score remained tied at 2-2 through nine innings. The deadlock continued into the 10th, but in the top of the 11th, Ole Miss finally broke through.
The Rebels took their first lead since the early moments of the game when Hayden Federico grounded out to the pitcher unassisted in a bases-loaded situation, bringing home Ethan Surowiec to give Ole Miss a 3-2 lead.
Kentucky responded in the bottom of the 11th with a single through the right side from Luke Lawrence, driving in a run and advancing two Wildcats into scoring position. Despite the opportunity, the score evened at 3-3.
Ole Miss extended their lead in the top of the 12th with a clutch two-run homer from Hill, making it 5-3 in favor of the Rebels. Kentucky answered again in the bottom of the 12th with a home run from Cole Hage, bringing the Wildcats back within one at 5-4.
The Ole Miss pitching staff held strong through the bottom of the 12th, securing the victory and clinching the series.
Who’s next?
Ole Miss travels to Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, April 8 to take on the Tigers. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
