Rebels Fall to Arkansas in Super Regionals Championship

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Anthony Servideo at the plate. Photo by Adam Brown.

The 2019 Ole Miss Rebels’ magical baseball season run came to a close in the championship game of the NCAA Super Regionals to the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks 14-1.

Ole Miss (41-27) ran into a red hot Razorback club that was firing on all cylinders in game three.

The Rebels jumped out to an early advantage in the first inning as Ryan Olenek got it started by getting on base. Two sluggers later Cole Zabowski and Cooper Johnson got back-to-back hits that drove him home.

Ole Miss’ starter Gunnar Hoglund had a dominant first inning on the bump as he retired the Arkansas sluggers in order.

Then in the second, the Razorbacks got the bats going with a leadoff double off the bat of Heston Kjerstead. Opitz drove the first run in on an RBI single followed by a double down the line by Nesbit. Trevor Ezell capped the inning off with a two-RBI base knock that plated two more runs.

Arkansas hurler Patrick Wickelnder worked 1.2 innings as he allowed a run on two hits and retired two by strikeout. The Razorbacks brought in right-hander Cody Scroggins who picked up the win after 4.1 innings of shutout baseball. Scroggins fanned eight batters and surrendered two hits in the outing.

In the third inning, Arkansas scored three more runs as Kjerstad picked up his second double of the day. The Razorbacks broke the game open in the sixth as they scored five runs.

This was the Rebels’ first chance to return to Omaha since the 2014 season.