Ole Miss Captures SEC Series Win After Massive 12-9 Win Over Kentucky Wildcats

OXFORD, Miss. – The storylines were plentiful in Saturday's thrilling finale at Swayze Field as Ole Miss defeated Kentucky 12-9 to claim the three-game series.

Ole Miss (19-6, 3-3 SEC) won 5-0 Thursday night, while Kentucky (19-4, 4-2 SEC) won 3-1 Friday night.

A three-run seventh inning and a three-run eighth ultimately moved Ole Miss past the Wildcats in this one. But the final 4.2 innings' performance of Walker Hooks on the mound were as important as any aspect of this one.

The left-hander allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts and one walk, after starter Wil Libbert and reliever Landon Koenig turned things over to him.

Will Furniss came up with arguably the biggest hit of the game with the table set and loaded with Rebels in the eighth. With one out and the score tied 9-9, Furniss came through with a two-run single to left to make it 11-9.

Brayden Randle had gotten things started in the bottom of the eighth with a double down the left field line. The Rebel shortstop then moved to third on a Federico ground out.

After Judd Utermark walked, Tristan Bissetta was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Following Furniss' two-RBI go-ahead single, Collin Reuter sent a fly ball down the line in right which was caught but scored Bissetta from third.

Leading 12-9, Ole Miss turned it back over to Hooks. Three up, three down went the Wildcats as Hooks finished strong, getting his first win of the season with no losses.

After Kentucky went up 2-0 in the top of the first, Ole Miss got one back in the bottom of the second. The Rebels stretched the lead to 5-2 with four runs in the fourth, the big moment a Daniel Pacella grand slam to left center that scored Furniss who had doubled, Reuter and Dom Decker who had both walked.

But the Wildcats went back out in front with six runs in the top of the fifth to lead 8-5. The Rebels had 12 outs to work with to get back into this one. They started the very next inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, a Hayden Federico fly ball to center scored Pacella who had reached on a hit by pitch. It was 8-6.

In the bottom of the seventh, a Bissetta solo homer to center was followed by a Furniss single, then a Reuter homer to left center. The Rebels led 9-8.

A leadoff home run from Kentucky's Tyler Bell tied the score 9-9 in the top of the eighth, but that was all Hooks allowed. That set things up for the drama in the bottom in the eighth; then Hooks took care of the top of the ninth.

The Wildcats had 12 hits to the Rebels' nine in the game. But three UK errors as opposed to Ole Miss' one miscue proved to be big. Furniss with three hits and Reuter with two hits paced the Rebels.

The fourth of six pitchers for Kentucky, Burkley Bounds (2-1), got the loss.

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