OXFORD – No. 17 Ole Miss hit four home runs in the fourth inning against Murray State on Tuesday night – part of a two-inning stretch where the Rebels scored 17 runs – and cruised past the Racers 19-2 at Swayze Field in a rematch of last summer’s Oxford regional final.
Rebels (30-12) senior third baseman Judd Utermark hit two two-run home runs in the game, giving him 46 for his college career. He is tied with Tim Elko for second-most in program history and trails just Kyle Gordon (48) for the program record.
Tuesday was somewhat of a full-circle moment for Utermark, as Elko was his host during recruitment.
“A little known story: he was my host whenever I was a recruit here, and I actually am in the same locker as him,” Utermark said. “‘My idol’ may be a stretch, but he’s definitely a mentor to me. And all the things that he’s done — not only for Ole Miss baseball, but for Oxford — he’s a really special guy. So, it means a lot.”
Junior starting pitcher Owen Kelly threw four no-hit innings before being pulled following the Rebels’ crooked fourth. He struck out six and issued one walk in four innings of work.
Ole Miss stranded six runners through the first three innings but did take advantage of traffic on the basepaths in the second, scoring a pair of runners from third on groundouts. The Rebels blew the game open with eight runs in the fourth, four coming by way of two-run home runs from both Utermark and sophomore shortstop Owen Paino and two more on back-to-back solo home runs from sophomore outfielders Hayden Federico and Topher Jones. Utermark hit his second long ball into the Rebels’ bullpen in the fifth, kickstarting a nine-run frame that also included the first two RBIs from freshman Kelven Perera. Utermark and Paino each drove in four runs in the game.
“(Utermark and Elko are) really good players and two great leaders,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “Two guys that do it the right way, and kids that you hope that your kids grow up to be like. … Great teammates, great leaders and really good baseball players.”
Freshman Leo Odom entered the game in the fifth and surrendered the first hit of the game to the Racers (24-17). He and fellow freshmen Noah Allen and Jake Reigert pitched the final three innings.
Ole Miss hosts No. 5 Georgia on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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