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Ole Miss hangs on, wins Super Regional opener vs. Arkansas in dramatic conclusion
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Ole Miss and Arkansas are facing off in the Super Regional round this weekend, with both programs looking to punch their first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series. Coming out of Friday, it will be the host Razorbacks, the No. 4 overall seed, in a do-or-die matchup on Saturday.
Friday’s Game 1 in Fayetteville did not disappoint in what became a slugfest and back-and-forth showdown. Both teams scored in the 1st inning, but it was a 3-run home run for Arkansas, delivered by Kailey Wyckoff, that gave the Razorbacks a 3-1 lead early. However, Ole Miss came right back with 8 runs scored across the 2nd-4th innings, staking the Rebels to a 9-5 lead after 4.
Ashton Lansdell delivered the big blow in that stretch for the Rebels with a 2-run blast. After that, Ole Miss tried to hang on against the offense of the Razorbacks, though it would not come easily.
Arkansas was able to get the score to 9-6 in the 5th inning, and a dramatic finish to the top of the 7th kept the score right there. The Rebels were threatening to score throughout the inning, but Reagan Johnson ended the scoring threat with a hard grab up against the wall in center field.
That grab by Johnson gave Arkansas a chance in the bottom half of the 7th, and it looked like the Razorbacks might put together a rally to tie things up. The Razorbacks put the first 2 batters on base, bringing the tying run to the plate, and that potential tying run would be superstar slugger Bri Ellis with 1 out.
It looked like a picturesque moment for more magic from Ellis, but Ole Miss had other plans. Aliyah Binford caught Ellis looking for a massive 2nd out.
A walk and a passed ball eventually made it 9-7 and put the tying run on 2nd base and brought Wyckoff back to the plate. She would send a blast deep to right field, but not deep end, ending the game on a flyout.
While the game was a high-scoring affair, the ultimate X factor proved to be Ole Miss’s ability to handle Ellis at the plate. Ellis ended the game 0-for-3 with just one walk, and it will be important for the Rebels to keep that success if they have hopes of advancing to the WCWS.
The win for Ole Miss goes down as the first Super Regional victory in program history. The Rebels were previously 0-4 in their 2 previous trips to the Super Regionals.
Game 2 in Fayetteville is set for Saturday evening at 9 pm ET. The Razorbacks must win to force a decisive Game 3 while a win by the Rebels would send Ole Miss to its first-ever WCWS appearance.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
