Ole Miss strikes first against Auburn in NCAA Super Regional
By David Wasson
Published:
The Ole Miss baseball team moved to within one victory of a berth in the College World Series on Friday night, downing No. 5 Auburn 6-4 in front of 10,627 at Plainsman Park in the NCAA Super Regional.
Ole Miss (40-21) can advance to the CWS for the seventh time in program history – and first since 2022 – by downing the Tigers again Saturday (5 pm ET, ESPN). Auburn (42-21) will look to force a decisive Game 3 set for Sunday.
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The Rebels took an early 1-0 lead on Brayden Randle’s RBI single in the second inning and went up 2-1 when Randle singled in another run in the fourth. But Ole Miss did most of its damage via the long ball, as Judd Utermark smashed a two-run homer to left in the fifth for a 4-1 lead.
Collin Reuter’s two-run homer to center extended the Ole Miss lead to 6-2 in the sixth. Auburn’s Brandon McCraine answered with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to 6-3 and also belted a solo homer in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough for Auburn.
Ole Miss reliever Hudson Calhoun (5-3) earned the victory, scattering two hits over 2 2/3 innings and striking out three. Walker Hooks earned his first save of the season. Despite striking out 10 in 5 2/3 innings, Auburn’s Andreas Alvarez (10-4) took the loss.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
