Ole Miss Baseball Advances to Lincoln Regional Final After Suspended Game Win

LINCOLN, Neb. — Ole Miss’s 18th-ranked baseball team secured a 6-3 victory over No. 20 Nebraska in a game suspended Saturday due to rain and lightning, earning a spot in the Lincoln Regional final. The Rebels (38-21) will face the winner of Sunday’s game between Nebraska and No. 22 Arizona State.

The game began Saturday evening but was halted after the eighth inning. It resumed Sunday afternoon, with Ole Miss holding the lead. First baseman Will Furniss led the Rebels at the plate, going 3-for-5 and extending his team-leading six-hit performance in the regional. Hayden Federico and Dom Decker added two hits each, with Federico also contributing six hits over the regional.

Pitcher Taylor Rabe earned his fourth quality start of the season. He pitched six innings, struck out nine, and allowed one run. Rabe has fanned 36 batters over his last three starts, averaging 12 per game. He and Nebraska’s Ty Horn traded blows early, but Rabe kept Nebraska off the scoreboard after the fourth inning.

Ole Miss took control in the sixth inning, scoring three runs. Owen Paino drove in three RBIs, including a double and a walk. Brayden Randle contributed with a run-scoring single, giving the Rebels a 3-1 lead. Nebraska threatened in the bottom half but was kept off the scoreboard by Rabe’s pitching and solid defense.

The Rebels added two insurance runs in the seventh after Nebraska issued five walks. Furniss singled in a run, and Paino scored on a wild pitch. Nebraska responded with a two-run homer in the eighth, but reliever JP Robertson closed out the game with four strikeouts over two innings. The game was suspended in the eighth due to rain and resumed Sunday, with Hudson Calhoun finishing the game on the mound.

Ole Miss will now prepare for the regional final at 7 p.m. CT against the winner of the Nebraska-Arizona State game, scheduled for 2 p.m. CT Sunday. The Rebels aim to return to the NCAA Super Regionals after their recent success in the tournament.

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