Freshman Wes Mendes Flashes as Rebels Trounce Little Rock

The Ole Miss Rebels won their third straight game on Tuesday night, taking down the Little Rock Trojans at Swayze Field.

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels took care of business on Tuesday night, taking down the Little Rock Trojans 12-6 for their third straight win on the diamond.

Ole Miss got the scoring started early with a three-run home run with two outs in the first inning, one that was provided by Will Furniss over the left field wall, his third straight game with a big fly.

The Trojans would attempt to claw back in the next two innings, however, pushing across a run apiece in the second and third to give Ole Miss a 3-2 advantage entering the fourth.

Wes Mendes / Ole Miss Athletics

The bottom of the fourth inning saw a sacrifice fly from Ethan Lege stretch the Rebels’ lead to 4-2, and then a two-RBI double from reigning SEC Player of the Week Jackson Ross extended the lead to 6-2, bringing home Andrew Fischer and Ethan Groff in the process.

Little Rock would not go quietly, however, as it pushed across two more runs in the top of the fifth to once again narrow the deficit, but a three-spot from the Rebels in the sixth essentially put the game out of reach.

In total, the Rebels hit four home runs on the day, and both teams combined for eight on the windy evening in Oxford.

Freshman Wes Mendes drew the start on the hill for Ole Miss, working three innings of two-hit, two-run ball, both of which were solo home runs in the second and third innings. He also danced around trouble in the first inning with the bases loaded, showing some mental fortitude in his first collegiate start. 

He was relieved by Mason Morris in the fourth inning, and he would allow a two-run shot of his own in the fifth. Brayden Jones and Mitch Murrell would combine to get the final outs of the game for the Rebels, and Morris was credited with the win.

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With the win, Ole Miss improves to 5-4 on the year, surpassing the .500 mark for the first time since its opening series in Hawaii. The Rebels will return to Swayze Field on Wednesday for another midweek bout, this time against the Missouri State Bears.

First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.