OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss baseball improved to 20-10 with a 7-4 win over Little Rock (17-12) Tuesday afternoon at Swayze Field.
Judd Utermark and Collin Reuter each homered for the Rebels. Utermark’s blast marked his career No. 41, tying him for third-most all-time at Ole Miss. He scored two runs in the game.
Will Furniss went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including a double in the fifth inning that drove in three runs. The performance made Furniss the fourth Rebel this season to surpass 20 RBIs. Austin Fawley extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double.
Freshman Grayson Gibson made his first career start, pitching two innings with a strikeout. Noah Allen earned his first career win, working two innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts. Ole Miss used six pitchers, including Leo Odom, who made his collegiate debut.
The game was tied at 1-1 after the first inning, with Utermark homering to left field. Little Rock responded with two home runs in the second inning to take the lead at 3-1. Ole Miss took the lead in the fifth inning when Furniss doubled to clear the bases. Reuter’s solo shot in the seventh extended the lead.
Little Rock scored in the eighth, but Ole Miss added two insurance runs after a throwing error allowed Utermark and Dom Decker to score. Landon Waters pitched the final four outs to earn his second save of the season. Malcolm Brown took the loss for Little Rock.
The Rebels will next face No. 21 Florida in a three-game series starting Thursday in Gainesville. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed on SECN+.
