Hunter Elliott deals Friday night.
Ole Miss ace Hunter Elliott returned to form Friday night.
A week after suffering his worst loss of the season when Arkansas blew Elliott and the Rebs out in a 12-2 run-rule debacle, Elliott was sharp against a much better team in ninth ranked Texas A&M. Elliott pitched six strong innings to beat the Aggies 5-3 at Swayze Field. Elliott moved to 5-2 on the season. He had great command from the start and struck out 11. He had four scoreless innings to start as Ole Miss built a 3-0 lead.
If not for an error, he would have left with a 3-1 lead, instead of 3-2.
The Rebels made the lead hold up to grab another quality Quad 1 victory over a top 10 team. Ole Miss reached the even 50-game mark at 33-17 and move back up in the Southeastern Conference at 13-12. A&M drops to 36-11 and 16-9.
The Rebels helped out the pitching by getting two big runs in the seventh inning. Dom Decker, who had two hits and a run scored, singled but was forced out on a grounder from Judd Utermark.
That was followed by a double from Will Furniss to score Utermark for a 4-2 lead. Tristan Bissett, who was moved down from the two-hole to cleanup, singled right up the box to score Furniss and a 5-2 lead.
That left it for Walker Hooks who was coming off a blow save Sunday that cost the Rebels the Arkansas series. A double, an error and a single loaded the bases with no out.
Hooks recovered with two fans and a ground ball to leave the damage to a run and a 5-3 lead.
The game would have been over for him in the ninth but an air mail throw from short extended the Aggies life by getting the tying run to the plate. Hooks got a strikeout of Caden Sorrell. Then Furniss came up with a liner grab to end the game.
Because of incoming weather Sunday, the teams will meet in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. The third game had been scheduled Sunday for the SEC Network, but will TBA from ESPN.
Ole Miss built a 3-0 by getting single runs in the first, second and fourth. They knocked out A&M starter Ethan Durden in just two innings. Decker got the first run via walk and then scoring off a double play ball from Will Furniss.
In the second, Collin Reuter walked, moved to second off a hit by Austin Fawley and then scored on a hit by Owen Paino.
Durden allowed two runs off three hits.
The lead went to 3-0 when Paino singled and then went to second on a balk from Sdao. Decker singled him home with a hit to right center.
THE RELEASE
Hunter Elliott, Hudson Calhoun and Walker Hooks combined to allow just three runs on seven hits as Ole Miss got past Texas A&M 5-3 Friday night in the series opener at Swayze Field.
The Rebels (33-17, 13-12 SEC) got a run in three of the first four innings and maintained their lead throughout over the Aggies (36-11, 15-9 SEC). It was on the mound that the Rebels were able to keep the potent Texas A&M offense at bay, as the Rebels struggled in the field with three errors.
Elliott (5-2) got the win and was sensational, pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on five hits, tying a career-high with 11 strikeouts and one walk. His seventh strikeout of the game was the 300th of his career, joining Drew Pomeranz and Lance Lynn as the only three Rebels north of that mark. He finished the day with 304 to his name.
Calhoun entered in the seventh and pitched just one inning, facing four batters and striking out one Aggie. Hooks got his sixth save of the 2026 season, pitching the final two innings with two hits and one unearned run along with three strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first, a Will Furniss groundout scored Dom Decker who had reached on a walk to start the inning. In the second, Ole Miss added a run on a Topher Jones fielder’s choice that scored Collin Reuter, who reached on a hit by pitch.
In the fourth, Ole Miss put another run on the scoreboard as Decker singled through the right side to score Owen Paino. The Rebel shortstop reached first on a bunt and later moved to second on a balk.
After Texas A&M scored two runs in the top of the fifth, the Rebels added two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh. With Judd Utermark aboard on a fielder’s choice, Furniss doubled to left to get him home and put the Rebels ahead 4-2. Tristan Bissetta singled to center field to score Furniss for a 5-2 Ole Miss lead.
Texas A&M got a run in the top of the eighth, but Hooks was able to limit any more damage in the frame. In the top of the ninth with an Aggie on first base, Chris Hacopian lined out to first as Furniss made a sensational catch to end the game at that point.
Austin Fawley, Utermark and Decker had two hits each for Ole Miss, which had nine hits in the game. Seven different Aggie players accounted for the seven A&M hits.
Starter Ethan Darden (4-1), the first of three Aggie pitchers, picked up the loss for the visitors.
Ole Miss and Texas A&M will play twice on Saturday, with the first game set to start at 2 p.m.
