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LINCOLN, NE — The state of Ole Miss baseball infielder Brayden Randle's jersey in the moments after his walk-off single showed how much meaning the game he ended carried.
The No. 2 Rebels beat No. 3 Arizona State 7-6 in 14 innings early on May 30 at Haymarket Park. With the win, Ole Miss (37-21) advanced to face host and No. 1 seed Nebraska (43-15) in the winners bracket of the Lincoln Regional on May 30 (7 p.m.).
The marathon game ended when Randle pulled a ground ball through the right side with the bases loaded. Luke Romine scored from third, ending a streak of 14 consecutive scoreless half innings.
Ole Miss players poured out of the dugout to chase Randle into the outfield. Two separate Rebels drenched him with red Body Armor coolers as his jersey was torn from his body by delirious teammates.
"Throughout the dugout it was just constant resilience," Randle said. "Credit to the pitchers for going out there and getting us zeros."
The celebration was indicative of the stakes. The win kept Ole Miss from a nightmare scenario.
Ole Miss used a top starter and its two best relievers. Hunter Elliott started and lasted five innings on 97 pitches. Reliever Walker Hooks threw 75 pitches over 5⅓ innings. Hudson Calhoun threw 51 pitches over 3⅔ innings. They combined for 223 pitches.
With a loss, Ole Miss would have had to face No. 4 seed South Dakota State in an elimination game with a heavily depleted bullpen. It would have started at 2 p.m., less than 13 hours after the weather-delay-prolonged first game ended at 1:17 a.m.
Instead, Arizona State (37-20) has that fate. It's something the Sun Devils, who used top starter Cole Carlon and four relievers against the Rebels, did their best to avoid.
"We knew if you lose that first one it becomes awfully tough," ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said. "We laid our cards down and tried to win this one."
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said using both Hooks and Calhoun so early in the first game wasn't the plan. It turned into a necessity.
Bianco said Taylor Rabe (4-3, 4.08 ERA) will get the start against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are 24-1 in home games in 2026, and will be more rested after winning a nine-inning game in the afternoon.
Part of Bianco's postgame message his players was about casting excuses aside.
"There's a lot of people out there who will tell you how tired you are supposed to be, and how draining this can be," Bianco said. "Or you can kind of spin it the other way and let this kind of energize you and let the positivity take you through."
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Inside Ole Miss baseball's 14-inning win and how it avoided disaster scenario
Continue reading...
The No. 2 Rebels beat No. 3 Arizona State 7-6 in 14 innings early on May 30 at Haymarket Park. With the win, Ole Miss (37-21) advanced to face host and No. 1 seed Nebraska (43-15) in the winners bracket of the Lincoln Regional on May 30 (7 p.m.).
The marathon game ended when Randle pulled a ground ball through the right side with the bases loaded. Luke Romine scored from third, ending a streak of 14 consecutive scoreless half innings.
Ole Miss players poured out of the dugout to chase Randle into the outfield. Two separate Rebels drenched him with red Body Armor coolers as his jersey was torn from his body by delirious teammates.
"Throughout the dugout it was just constant resilience," Randle said. "Credit to the pitchers for going out there and getting us zeros."
The celebration was indicative of the stakes. The win kept Ole Miss from a nightmare scenario.
Ole Miss used a top starter and its two best relievers. Hunter Elliott started and lasted five innings on 97 pitches. Reliever Walker Hooks threw 75 pitches over 5⅓ innings. Hudson Calhoun threw 51 pitches over 3⅔ innings. They combined for 223 pitches.
With a loss, Ole Miss would have had to face No. 4 seed South Dakota State in an elimination game with a heavily depleted bullpen. It would have started at 2 p.m., less than 13 hours after the weather-delay-prolonged first game ended at 1:17 a.m.
Instead, Arizona State (37-20) has that fate. It's something the Sun Devils, who used top starter Cole Carlon and four relievers against the Rebels, did their best to avoid.
"We knew if you lose that first one it becomes awfully tough," ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said. "We laid our cards down and tried to win this one."
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said using both Hooks and Calhoun so early in the first game wasn't the plan. It turned into a necessity.
Bianco said Taylor Rabe (4-3, 4.08 ERA) will get the start against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are 24-1 in home games in 2026, and will be more rested after winning a nine-inning game in the afternoon.
Part of Bianco's postgame message his players was about casting excuses aside.
"There's a lot of people out there who will tell you how tired you are supposed to be, and how draining this can be," Bianco said. "Or you can kind of spin it the other way and let this kind of energize you and let the positivity take you through."
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Inside Ole Miss baseball's 14-inning win and how it avoided disaster scenario
Continue reading...
