Ole Miss Baseball Captures Series Win After Taking Down Missouri State 6-3 in Game 2

OXFORD, Miss. – Austin Fawley delivered a three-run double to break open Ole Miss baseball’s series-clinching game against Missouri State, leading to a 6-3 win for the Rebels Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field.

Fawley has plated seven runs through the first two games of the series for the Rebels (7-0). Will Furniss and Tristan Bissetta had two hits each.

Cade Townsend took the bump for his second start of the season and remained on a hot streak. He worked 4.0 innings and tossed eight strikeouts, tying a career high that he last set one week ago. Missouri State (3-3) failed to reach home plate with Townsend on the mound.

Judd Utermark reached base on a walk in the first, allowing Tristan Bissetta to knock him in during the next at-bat. Bissetta leads Ole Miss in RBI this season with 14, which was tops for the SEC entering this series. Ole Miss has scored at least one run in each of the first six games this season, a feat the Rebels haven’t achieved since at least 2012.

A pitcher’s duel ensued for the next three innings. Townsend didn’t give up a hit until the top of the fourth, in which time he fanned six batters. On the other side, Missouri State’s Max Knight retired six consecutive batters and eight total after giving up the early run in the first.

Townsend exited after four, two-hit innings with Taylor Rabe coming in for relief in the top of the fifth.

Missouri State ended the duel in the top of the fifth inning after a home run to left center tied the ball game at a run apiece.

Ole Miss Baseball vs. Arkansas Razorbacks in SEC clash. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Baseball.

After a stagnant complete inning, Collin Reuter got the bats going again with a deep double to right center. Furniss singled in the next at-bat, and Cannon Goldin walked after that. Fawley would claim his second multi-RBI at-bat of the series with a double that unloaded the bases to put the Rebels in front 4-1.

Hayden Federico kept the inning going with a bunt that resulted in a collision between the pitcher and third baseman. This allowed Fawley, who advanced to third the at-bat prior, to score Ole Miss’ fourth run of the sixth.

Rabe rebounded on the mound after giving up the home run in the fifth by pitching two clean innings in relief of Townsend. He struck out three batters in 3.1 innings of work but allowed a two more runs from Missouri State to cut Ole Miss’ lead to two. Right-hander Landon Koenig entered for the final five outs of the game.

Brayden Randle walked to start the bottom of the eighth. He managed to reach third by way of stealing second and advancing after a groundout. Dom Decker delivered on a sacrifice fly to deep center field to bring in the insurance run.

Koenig sealed the game with a strikeout against the first and last batter of the ninth to earn his first save as a Rebel. Rabe earned the win and moved to 2-0 on the season, while Missouri State’s Brock Lucas picked up the loss.

The finale of the series between Ole Miss and Missouri State is set for 1:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. The game will be streamed on SECN+.

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