No. 17 Ole Miss Baseball welcomed Murray State to Swayze Field on Tuesday, April 21, for the first time since the Racers defeated the Rebels in the Oxford Regional last season. The Rebels won, 19-2, in seven innings.
Owen Kelly took the mound for Ole Miss. He pitched four no-hit innings to earn the win. Kelly struck out six batters and gave up one walk.
In the second, Topher Jones got on base after being hit by a pitch. Luke Romine and Austin Fawley both walked to load the bases. Owen Paino and Dom Decker both had RBI groundouts to put the Rebels up, 2-0.
The Rebels broke the game open in the fourth. Paino got the action started with a single, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Decker walked, which put two men on base for Tristan Bissetta.
Bissetta singled to score Paino. Decker scored on another wild pitch. Judd Utermark then launched a home run, the first of four in the inning for the Rebels.
Hayden Federico and Jones hit back-to-back homers, extending the Rebel lead to 8-0. Fawley walked. Paino then hit his third homer of the season, and Ole Miss went up, 10-0, with the 8-run frame.
Bissetta singled to start the fifth, then Utermark hit his second home run of the game. Will Furniss walked, and Federico reached on an error. Jones got hit by a pitch to load the bases for Romine, who walked, scoring a run. Federico scored on a wild pitch that also advanced the other baserunners.
Kelven Perera cleared the bases with a single to extend the Ole Miss lead, 16-0.
Paino singled and drove in Perera for his fourth RBI of the game. Brett Moseley got hit by a pitch, and Furniss singled to score Paino.
With the strong offensive display, the Rebels beat Murray State in seven innings by run rule.
Murray State did not score until the seventh inning. With one out remaining, Jake Slade hit a two-run homer to make the score 19-2.
What’s next?
Ole Miss (30-12, 10-8 SEC) will host the Georgia Bulldogs (32-10, 13-5 SEC) at Swayze Field on April 24-26. Game one will begin at 6:30 p.m. on April 24. SEC Network+ will broadcast the games.
