When a pitcher can’t find the plate with any pitch in his arsenal, things tend to go sideways fast, especially in the Southeastern Conference.
That’s exactly what happened to Ole Miss left-hander Hunter Elliott on Friday night.
The Rebels’ veteran starter ran into the worst command night of his four-year career and No. 22 Arkansas wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
The Razorbacks tagged Elliott for three home runs across three innings and cruised to a 12-2 run-rule win in seven innings at Baum Walker Stadium in front of 10,676 fans.
It’s a loss that puts Ole Miss in a tough spot early in what figures to be an important SEC weekend series.
Elliott’s Night Unravels Quickly
Elliott had never given up three homers in a single outing in his four seasons at Ole Miss, according to a story by Neal McReady at Rebels247.
That streak came to an end Friday in a rough way.
TJ Pompey got the Razorbacks going in the second inning, launching a 416-foot blast to left-center that left the bat at 112 miles per hour.
It was a two-out, nobody-on shot that capped a rally out of thin air. Elliott had given up a single to Kuhio Aloy and a walk to Zack Stewart before Pompey did the damage.
One inning later, it happened again. Camden Kozeal followed a one-out walk to Ryder Helfrick with a 422-foot shot onto the JB and Johnelle Hunt Family Baseball Development Center behind the right-field wall, also at 112 miles per hour.
Then Aloy made it three. His leadoff homer to start the fourth inning traveled 414 feet at 115 miles per hour and that was all she wrote for Elliott.
He’d thrown 72 pitches, only 39 for strikes, before being pulled in favor of right-hander Landon Waters.
“He really didn’t have anything,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said later. “No command of really any pitch.”
Elliott finished with five hits and six earned runs allowed while walking three and striking out two in three-plus innings. His record dropped to 4-2.
Dietz Shuts Down the Rebs
While Elliott was struggling, Arkansas ace Hunter Dietz was flat-out dealing.
The left-hander gave the Razorbacks six solid innings, allowing just one run on four hits.
He walked four but punched out nine Rebels, eight of them on called third strikes. That kind of dominant performance from an SEC ace tends to make a bad night for the opposing starter feel even worse.
The one bright spot for Ole Miss came in the sixth inning when Judd Utermark went the other way for a 387-foot solo home run.
It was Utermark’s 18th of the season and the 47th of his Rebel career — a meaningful milestone on an otherwise forgettable night.
Arkansas Pulls Away Late
The Razorbacks put it completely out of reach with a five-run sixth inning.
Nolan Souza led off with a triple and things snowballed from there — a hit batter and an error by shortstop Owen Paino opened the door and a Maiku Niu RBI single set the table for Ryder Helfrick’s three-run opposite-field blast that pushed Arkansas ahead by ten.
Landon Koenig was roughed up in relief, giving up three hits and five runs — just one earned — while recording only two outs.
Waters provided Ole Miss with some measure of relief in a literal sense.
The right-hander tossed two hitless innings and struck out three, giving the Rebs’ bullpen a small win in an otherwise difficult evening. Terry Hayes Jr. was on the hill in the seventh when Aloy’s run-scoring double ended it.
Austin Fawley added a 433-foot solo blast over the left-field wall in the seventh — his seventh of the season — keeping the Rebels from being shut out completely.
Where Things Stand
With the loss, Ole Miss fell to 31-16 overall and 11-11 in the SEC. Arkansas improved to 31-15 and 12-10 in league play.
The standings make Saturday’s game a must-win situation if the Rebs want any shot at taking the series.
Game two is Saturday at 2 p.m. Ole Miss will send right-hander Cade Townsend (4-1, 4.82 ERA) to the mound. He’ll face Arkansas left-hander Cole Gabler (4-1, 2.91 ERA).
The Rebels need a bounce-back performance in the worst way.
