Ole Miss' bats break through in big win at Arkansas
Ole Miss senior designated hitter Collin Reuter hit a first-inning grand slam Saturday afternoon against Arkansas, while junior catcher Austin Fawley hit a pair of home runs, setting the tone for the No. 17 Rebels’ 11-4 win over No. 22 Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium in the second game of their weekend series.
The win snaps the Rebels’ (32-16, 12-11 SEC) four-game losing streak. Ole Miss sophomore starting pitcher Cade Townsend surrendered two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. He gave up four hits, struck out five batters and walked one.
The Rebels loaded the bases with one out on Arkansas’ (31-17, 12-11) Cole Gibler and proceeded to score five runs in the first, four coming with one swing of Reuter’s bat. Fawley led off the fourth with a 442-foot solo home run over the batter’s eye and hit his second long ball of the day leading off the sixth, his third homer in as many days. Arkansas finally did damage against Townsend with two outs in the sixth, as Maika Niu launched a two-run home run to break up the shutout.
Junior Hudson Calhoun took over on the mound following a Townsend walk and stranded the bases loaded to end the inning. Senior first baseman Will Furniss belted a two-run home run in the seventh inning, putting the Razorbacks back in a seven-run hole. It was Furniss’ sixth homer of the season and 30th of his career.
Arkansas’ Kuhio Aloy and Camden Kozeal hit solo home runs off Calhoun in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Reuter and sophomore outfielder Hayden Federico each drove in a run in the ninth. Federico, Fawley and Reuter finished with three hits each.