Mike Bianco
The Ole Miss Rebels got a much-needed confidence boost by banging out 16 hits, including four home runs in roasting the Arkansas Razorbacks 11-4 Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville.
The win snaps a four-game losing streak, all against SEC teams, including Friday’s embarasing 12-2 run rule loss to the Razorbacks on Friday in game one of the series. The Sunday series decider will start at 2 p.m.
Ole Miss (32-16, 12-11 SEC) got great production from the middle of the lineup. Will Furniss, Hayden Federico, Collin Reuter and Austin Fawley combined for 11 of the Rebels’ 16 hits.
Reuter’s grand slam in the first inning lit the spark. He added two singles including a RBI single in the ninth inning to account for the 11-4 final.
Fawley hit solo home runs in the fourth and sixth, the latter upped Ole Miss to a 7-0 lead.
Cade Townsend had a strong effort to redeem a beat up Rebel pitching staff. He went five scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the sixth that made it 7-2.
Hudson Calhoun induced a fielders choice to get the Rebs out of bases-loaded situation and keep the lead at five runs.
Ole Miss answered in the top of the seventh with Furniss blasting a two-run shot to up the lead back to seven at 9-2.
Arkansas got single runs off solo home runs against Calhoun in the seventh and eighth to make it 9-4.
Rebel closer Walker Hooks came in and got two key outs to keep the spread at five. He then got two insurance runs as Federico got a RBI double and Reuter had his third hit of the day.
Hooks went 1.2 innings to close it out. The three Rebel hurlers combined for eight Hog strikeouts.
Cole Gibbler took the loss after giving up five runs in the first and single runs in the fourth and sixth.
Reuter drove in five off three hits, led by the slam. Federico had three hits as did Fawley. Dom Decker was back at leadoff and he had two hits in first two at bats. Judd Utermark had two singles and scored two runs.
