Ole Miss defeated Alabama 9-0 on May 15 to even the baseball series at one win each. Taylor Rabe and JP Robertson combined for a two-hit shutout, with the final game of the series scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
The outcome is significant as both teams are closely matched in their records, with Ole Miss now standing at 36-19 overall and 15-14 in the Southeastern Conference, while Alabama holds a record of 36-18 and 17-12 in conference play.
Rabe delivered a strong performance over six innings, striking out thirteen batters while allowing just one hit and one walk. Robertson took over from Rabe in the seventh inning, giving up only one hit and walking one batter while striking out three. “Rabe was sensational on the mound through six innings. The right-hander struck out 13 and allowed just one hit and one walk, facing 21 batters.” The Rebels’ offense was led by Will Furniss, who drove in five runs during the contest.
Key moments included Owen Paino’s solo home run in the fifth inning that extended Ole Miss’s lead to two runs. Later that inning, Furniss added a three-run home run to increase their advantage to five runs. Additional runs were scored by Collin Reuter and Austin Fawley in later innings, helping secure Ole Miss’s victory.
Robertson closed out Alabama with effective pitching through the final three innings. Hayden Federico, Fawley, and Dom Decker each contributed two hits as part of Ole Miss’s eleven total hits compared to Alabama’s two.
Looking ahead, both teams will meet again for the deciding game of their series on Saturday.
