Ole Miss and Alcorn State have played just five times with the Rebels winning every time. That trend didn’t change in a late Wednesday afternoon game that saw the Rebels set a season-high for runs scored.
The Rebels put on a hitting showcase, recording 23 total hits and five home runs in a 29-1 win against the Braves. The 29 runs was the most runs scored in a single game by an Ole Miss baseball team.
The closest Alcorn State has come to beating Ole Miss was the first-ever meeting in 2020 when the Rebels won 9-8 in 10 innings. Since then, the Rebels have won every meeting by at least seven runs.
Ole Miss wasted little time building a big lead against the Braves. The Rebels scored six runs in the first frame, with Jade Utermark starting off the scoring with a two-run double down to center field. Isaac Humphrey, Campbell Smithwick, and Owen Paino had an RBI each in the inning.
The Rebels extended their lead to 8-0 with a pair of runs in the second. Utermark smashed his 11th home run of the season to center field that put Ole Miss up 11-0 in the third inning. The scoring continued in the fourth inning with another six-run inning, highlighted by Luke Cheng and Humphrey hitting multiple-RBI home runs.
Ole Miss held a 29-0 before Alcorn State scored its lone run of the game groundout to first base in the seventh inning. Before that, the Braves’ best scoring chance came in the sixth inning. The Braves loaded the bases with just one out recorded, but Cooper Johnson struck out the next two batters to end the scoring threat.
Cade Townsend earned the win for Ole Miss, allowing just one hit in four innings of work. He didn’t allow any walks and struck out five batters.
Ole Miss will now prepare for one of its biggest challenges of the season when defending national champion No. 5 Tennessee comes to Oxford. The three-game series is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. Friday on SECN+. Game two will also air on SECN+ at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s series finale will air on SEC Network at 2 p.m.
