Fayetteville, Ark. — No. 17 Ole Miss baseball (32-17, 12-12 SEC) lost to No. 22 Arkansas (32-17, 13-11 SEC) 5-4 in a walk-off Sunday afternoon. The Rebels led 4-3 going into the bottom of the ninth but allowed a game-winning home run by Christian Turner.
Judd Utermark and Owen Paino each had two hits for Ole Miss. Utermark also hit his 48th career home run, tying the school record held by Kyle Gordon. Paino added a three-run shot in the second inning. Taylor Rabe pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven, his career high.
The game saw Arkansas take an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Ole Miss responded in the second, with Paino’s home run giving the Rebels a 3-1 advantage. Arkansas fought back with a 469-foot homer from Kuhio Aloy in the sixth to make it 3-2. Utermark’s second home run put Ole Miss ahead 4-3 in the eighth.
Walker Hooks pitched into the ninth, but Nolan Souza’s single and Christian Turner’s walk-off blast gave Arkansas the win. Ole Miss returns home next weekend to face Texas A&M in its final home series of the season.
The Rebels are scheduled to play Texas A&M on May 8-10, with the SEC tournament, NCAA regionals, super regionals, and College World Series upcoming. Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco’s team aims to finish strong in the postseason.
