Junior shortstop Wehiwa Aloy's ninth inning three-run home run lifted the No. 3 Arkansas baseball team (18-2, 2-1 SEC) past the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels (16-4, 1-2 SEC) in a 12-9 series-clinching win Sunday afternoon at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Razorbacks were down to their final out in the top ninth inning with the Rebels leading 9-8, but outfielder Charles Davalan tied it with an RBI single and Aloy left no doubt with his 346-foot blast to right field. True freshman Carson Wiggins pitched two innings of one run ball and ended up with the win after closing down the final two innings.
Both teams combined for 26 total hits, 16 of which came via the Razorbacks. Aloy drove in five runs on three hits, two of which were home runs to push his season total to nine longballs. Outfielder Logan Maxwell also had three hits, while three other Hogs had multi-hit days and nine total Razorbacks recorded a hit in the game.
Arkansas starting pitcher Landon Beidelschies did not have his best stuff, as he gave up four earned runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in just 2.1 innings pitched. Veteran right-hander Will McEntire threw 3.1 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts, but the Rebels found more success after McEntire's outing ended.
Beidelschies issued a nine-pitch walk and then gave up a two-run home run against his first two batters. He picked up two quick outs after that before loading the bases just to leave them stranded and keep the deficit at 2-0 after the first inning. The Ohio State transfer lefty looked much better with a 1-2-3 bottom of the second that featured a pair of strikeouts.
Ole Miss starter Mason Nichols continued to deal with a three up, three down top of the third inning to keep the Hogs' lineup quiet. Beidelschies gave up a one out double followed by another two run home run, this one by Rebels' third baseman Judd Utermark, that chased the Hogs' starter from the game. McEntire relieved Beidelschies and quickly picked up two outs to end the frame.
Nichols gave up just his second hit of the day on a two out single by Maxwell in the top of the fourth inning. Third basemen Brent Iredale walked and then first baseman Cam Kozeal scored Maxwell with a bloop RBI single, but that was all the Hogs could scratch across in the frame.
McEntire overcame the Hogs' third error of the weekend and faced just one more than the minimum in the bottom of the fourth inning.
After scoring eight runs in the top of the fifth inning Saturday, the Razorbacks found more success in the frame Sunday with back-to-back two out RBI knocks from Kuhio Aloy and Maxwell to cut the deficit to 4-3. McEntire followed it up with a dominant 9-pitch bottom of the fifth inning.
With Ole Miss reliever Walter Hooks pitching in the top of the sixth inning, the Hogs put three of their first four batters on base. Second baseman Nolan Souza's RBI double to the wall in right field tied the game at 4-4 and chased Hooks in a key moment. Ole Miss turned to right-hander Brayden Jones, who gave up a go-ahead RBI groundout to Charles Davalan followed by a two-run home run to Wehiwa Aloy that made the lead 7-4.
McEntire gave up a leadoff homer run to Ole Miss first baseman Will Furniss in the bottom of the sixth. The Bryant (Ark.) native picked up two straight outs before allowing a two out double that chased him and brought on Hogs' righty Christian Foutch, who issued a walk and hit by pitch before leaving the bases loaded.
Kozeal hit another RBI single with one out in the top of the seventh inning to make the Hogs' lead three runs. Jones was relieved by Rebels closer Connor Spencer, who quickly got out of the frame without allowing anymore scoring.
Sophomore left-hander Colin Fisher was taken deep to right field on the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh by Rebels' right fielder Mitchell Sanford to cut the Hogs lead to 8-6. Back-to-back RBI swings by Ole Miss catcher Austin Fawley and shortstop Owen Paino tied the game and Fisher was relieved by Dylan Carter after issuing walk to put two runners on with two outs. Carter needed just one pitch to get out of the inning.
With bases loaded and one out in the top of the eighth inning, Iredale hit into a 4-6-3 double play to send the Swayze Field crowd into a frenzy as Spencer escaped what could've been disaster for the Rebels. Wiggins gave up the lead on a two out hit-and-run RBI single from Furniss that made it a 9-8 game.
Down to their final out in the top of the ninth, the Hogs tied the game at 9-9 on an RBI single from Davalan. Two pitches later, Wehiwa Aloy drove his second home run of the day to right field to score three runs, giving the Hogs a 12-9 lead.
Wiggins stranded a pair and picked up the win in the process by closing things down in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Up next, Arkansas will return home to Fayetteville for a two-game midweek series against Oral Roberts on Tuesday and Wednesday at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch Tuesday is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
