The University of Mississippi Athletics

Saturday, April 6
Fayetteville, Ark.
2 PM

Ole Miss

18-15, 3-9

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7

Arkansas

27-3, 11-1

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Ethan Groff

Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short for Baseball In Fayetteville

4/6/2024 | Baseball

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ole Miss (18-15, 3-9 SEC) couldn't avoid the sweep Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 1 Arkansas (27-3, 11-1 SEC) for third game in a row.
 
Ethan Groff went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the loss.
 
Mason Nichols drew the start for the Rebels on the mound, the first of his career. The junior opened the game with a near-immaculate inning. After a first pitch ball, Nichols threw nine-straight strikes to punch out the side in the opening frame.
 
Nichols allowed two baserunners in the second inning and loaded the bases in the third but was able to escape both jams while adding another strikeout to his total.
 
The Rebel offense had just one hit, a single from Will Furniss, and two walks in the first four innings.
 
Arkansas got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out solo home run from Nolan Souza. After getting another out in the fourth, Nichols was relieved by Josh Mallitz who finished the inning. Nichols gave up just one run and three hits while striking out four batters in 3.2 innings of work in his first career start.
 
Ole Miss responded in the fifth inning, using three singles, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead. Andrew Fischer and Groff each picked up RBI in the inning.
 
The Rebels' lead didn't last long as the Razorbacks responded in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs to move back in front at 3-2.
 
Judd Utermark and Brayden Randle tied the game up in the sixth inning, as Utermark hit a one-out double and Randle brought him home with a single to left field. It was Utermark's third double of the week.
 
Arkansas broke things open in the seventh inning as Souza hit his second home run of the day, this time a three-RBI bomb to right center. They would add one more run before the inning was over and take a 7-3 lead into the eighth.
 
The Rebels put together a one-out rally in the ninth inning as Luke Hill singled, Fischer walked, and Groff drove in a run to cut the lead to three. That would be all for the visiting team however as the next two batters were retired.
 
Ole Miss returns home next week to face Murray State on Tuesday and Mississippi State starting on Friday.
 
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on X at @CoachMikeBianco.

Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Gabe Gaeckle (1-2)

L: Spencer, Connor (0-2)

S: Will McEntire (4)

Ole Miss LogoOle Miss

Batting:

2B: Lege, Ethan 1 ; Utermark, Judd 1

RBI: Fischer, Andrew 1 ; Groff, Ethan 2 ; Randle, Brayden 1

SH: Randle, Brayden 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Hill, Luke 2 ; Utermark, Judd 1 ; Lyons, Trenton 1

SB: Groff, Ethan 1

Arkansas LogoArkansas

Batting:

2B: Peyton Stovall 1

HR: Nolan Souza 2

RBI: Peyton Stovall 1 ; Nolan Souza 5

Base Running:

RUNS: Wehiwa Aloy 1 ; Kendall Diggs 1 ; Ross Lovich 1 ; Jared Sprague-Lott 1 ; Nolan Souza 2 ; Hudson White 1

SB: Wehiwa Aloy 1 ; Ross Lovich 1

HBP: Ross Lovich 1

Game Leaders

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Players Mentioned

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