Ole Miss and Arizona State battled into the night in the first round of the Lincoln Regional at the University of Nebraska at Hawks Field.
The NCAA Tournament game finally ended in the bottom of the 14th on Brayden Randle’s bases-loaded single to the ride side to score Luke Romine for the game-winning run and a 7-6 win over Arizona State.
The nearly 5-hour game saw the Rebels miss chance after chance. Arizona State pitching put up eight scoreless innings after Ole Miss went up 6-3 in the fifth inning.
Ole Miss, 37-21, advances to play Nebraska Saturday in a winners bracket game.
Arizona State, 37-20, fell into the losers bracket to face South Dakota State Saturday in an elimination game.
Hudson Calhoun pitched 3.1 innings of relief, striking out three to get the win in relief of Hunter Elliott and Walker Hooks.
Ole Miss pitched well, getting innings 5.2 from Hooks and five innings from Elliott who left with a 6-4 lead.
Ole Miss had a golden chance to win the game in the 12th. Hayden Federico delivered a double with one out. He took third on a wild pitch. Ariizona State pitched to Brayden Randle and got an infield out to deny the Rebels a winning run from third. With two out, a line out ended the inning and sent the game to the 13th.
Randle came back big in the 14th. After Romine and Tristan Bissetta drew walks, Hayden Federico singled toward second base to the load the bases, Randle got his second pinch-hit of the game, a game-winner to end the pressure-packed game.
Federico finished with four hits to lead Ole Miss. Bissetta hit a two-run homer in a four-run Rebel fourth to break at 3-all tie and put them up 5-3. In the fifth, Dom Decker had a RBI hit for a 6-3 lead.
Arizona State closed the gap game by getting a solo home run from Dean Toigo to make it 6-4 off Elliott. They then got a two-run home run from Contrades to tie the game 6-6 in the seventh off Hooks.
Ole Miss had chance to grab the lead in the eighth when the Rebels loaded the bases but ASU reliever Derek Schaefer struck out Romine to end the threat and send the game to the ninth inning.
Ole Miss put two runners on in the 10th inning, but Jaden Alba struck out Austin Fawley and Hayden Federico to end the threat and send the game to the 11th inning.
Hunter Elliott got the start and went five innings and left after five innings with a 6-4 lead. Walker Hooks pitched the next five innings and allowed a two-run homer in the seventh but had three scoreless innings to take the game to the 11th.
Will Furniss and Federico had two hits each for Ole Miss. Utermark and Bissetta had home runs. Contrades had three hits and three RBIs for Arizona State while Tioga and Donald Smaldino had two hits each.
