Joshua ClaytonOle Miss and Arkansas traded the lead back and forth throughout the game but the No. 2 seeded Razorbacks were able to ultimately claim the second-round game.
The loss puts Ole Miss in the losers’ bracket with a game against Texas A&M on Thursday morning.
The Razorbacks took the early lead in the first inning when Casey Martin scored from second base on a single to left field from Dominic Fletcher.
Bianco started Tim Elko and Justin Bench at first and second base and the inexperience showed with a few miscues on the right side of the infield early in the game.
Grae Kessinger was able to flash his glove from the shortstop position with a few eye-catching plays, showing he’s one of the best defensive infielders in the league. However, the Razorbacks held the 2-0 lead through four innings.
The Ole Miss bats were quiet until the fifth inning. Servideo singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and got to third with his 21st stolen base of the season. With runners on the corners after Justin Bench walked, Thomas Dillard ripped one to right field to score Servideo. Kessinger tied the game with a sac-fly for Bench.
Kevin Graham stepped to the plate to hit for Elko in the sixth and was able to put the ball in play with a 1-2 count, allowing Cole Zabowski to come in with the go-ahead score.
Ole Miss’s starter Zack Phillips had been solid all day, but a two-RBI single from Jack Kenley gave the Razorbacks the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth, causing Bianco to go to Austin Miller in relief.
The Razorbacks were able to extend the lead to 5-3 in the eighth and that score held to push Ole Miss to the elimination bracket. The Rebels had opportunities with runners in scoring position in the eighth, but Razorback closer Matt Cronin shut it down to get the save, striking out all four batters he faced.
The matchup against Texas A&M will kick off action in Hoover with a 9:30 a.m. first pitch tomorrow. The Rebels will look to repeat their performance from a year ago, as they were able to fight out of the losers’ bracket and win the whole tournament in 2018.
