No. 25 Ole Miss didn’t need any late‑inning drama Tuesday night.
The Rebels handled their business, handled Southeast Missouri, and handled the kind of midweek game that can quietly trip up a team with a massively important weekend ahead of it.
A 13-3 run‑rule win doesn’t answer every question, but it does send them into a big weekend with a clean record and a lineup that looks more and more comfortable by the day.
Ole Miss actually trailed for all of about five minutes. SEMO scratched across a run in the top of the first, and Ole Miss immediately shrugged it off with a three‑spot in the bottom half. Tristan Bissetta punched in the first run, Collin Reuter and Tanner Jones followed with RBI singles, and that was pretty much the last moment the game felt remotely competitive.
The second inning is where things tilted for good. Will Furniss doubled to get it going, and the Rebels just kept stacking quality swings. Bissetta and Cannon Goldin drove in runs, a couple of wild pitches helped the cause, and suddenly it was 9-2 with a long night ahead for the Redhawks.
By the end of it, Ole Miss had piled up 13 hits and kept traffic on the bases with a steady diet of walks. Furniss put the finishing touches on the night with a three‑run homer in the seventh, right after Owen Paino added an RBI single.
The pitching side was exactly what you want in a midweek: multiple arms, low stress, and no real openings for SEMO to climb back in. Five hits allowed, nothing after the fourth, and a bullpen that looked settled.
It wasn’t a statement win so much as a reminder of what this team looks like when the offense is synced up and the pitching stays out of trouble. With a tougher stretch coming, that’s not a bad place to be.
Winning/Losing Pitchers
- WP: Owen Kelly 91-0) 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 32 TP
- LP: C Kickhaefer 90-1) 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 RP, 24 TP
Ole Miss Batting Leaders
- Will Furniss: 2-4, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
- Tristan Bissetta: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 2B
- Cannon Goldin: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 K
- Collin Reuter: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 2B
- Tanner Jones: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Next Up
Ole Miss will head to Daikin Park in Houston for the Bruce Bolt College Classic where it’ll get its first taste of competition against Power 4 Conference teams.
The Rebels will begin play at 3:05 p.m. Friday against Baylor. On Saturday, they’ll play Ohio State at 11:05 a.m. They’ll end the weekend with the biggest game of the classic against No. 16 Coastal Carolina. First pitch for that game is set for 10:05 a.m.
The Bruce Bolt College Classic will be streamed online on the Houston Astros’ YouTube Channel.
