The No. 24 Ole Miss Rebels secured an impressive 15-8 victory over the No. 22 Southern Miss Golden Eagles in a high-scoring midweek baseball showdown on Tuesday, at Swayze Field in Oxford.
The game featured explosive offense and strategic pitching changes. The teams combined for eight home runs and cycled through 14 pitchers.
Ole Miss jumped to an early lead in the first inning with a two-RBI single from Judd Utermark and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Austin Fawley. The Rebels never relinquished their advantage, despite Southern Miss scoring in six of the nine innings.
Ole Miss’ offensive firepower was led by Fawley, who drove in four runs, including a towering home run in the third inning. Freshman Owen Paino also shined with his first collegiate home run, contributing two RBIs. Mitchell Sanford and Ryan Moerman added to the long-ball frenzy with homers of their own.
On the mound, Ole Miss started junior right-hander Will McCausland, who pitched 3.1 innings, allowing six hits and four runs (three earned). Southern Miss countered with sophomore McCarty English, who struggled, giving up three runs early. Ole Miss turned to its bullpen frequently, using five relievers. Brayden Jones delivered a crucial performance in the sixth inning when he entered with the bases loaded and no outs, but managed to escape unscathed. Jones earned the win, improving his record to 1-0.
Southern Miss showcased offensive consistency but struggled on the mound. The eight Golden Eagles pitchers collectively allowed 15 runs.
The victory extended Ole Miss’ winning streak to six games and improved their record to 7-1, while Southern Miss fell to 7-2. Both teams displayed their offensive capabilities in this thrilling matchup between two nationally ranked squads.
Ole Miss will host Wright State for a three-game series starting Friday, while Southern Miss heads to Fort Worth for a weekend series against TCU.
