Ole Miss Drops Extra-Inning Midweek Game to Murray State

The Ole Miss Rebels blew an early lead and dropped their game against the Murray State Racers on Wednesday night.

Ole Miss Rebels designated hitter Campbell Smithwick. / Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD -- The Ole Miss Rebels blew an early lead and dropped their game against the Murray State Racers 12-9 in 15 innings on Wednesday night.

The contest marked a makeup game between the two teams to replace a rained-out meeting originally scheduled for April 9.

Ole Miss (25-23) pushed two runs across in the bottom of the first thanks to a pair of bases-loaded free passes. Second baseman Luke Hill (HBP) and designated hitter Campbell Smithwick (walk) both reached against Murray State starter Bryce Valero with the bases juiced, but that was all the Rebels could muster in the first frame without recording a hit.

The Racers responded in the top of the second inning on a sac fly and RBI single off of Ole Miss starter Grayson Saunier, and the game remained knotted at two until Smithwick broke the deadlock with a solo home run to right field, his first of the season. The Rebels would add on with a pair of runs in the fifth as Andrew Fischer provided another solo home run to right, and Smithwick came through with an RBI single.

Murray State responded with a single run in the sixth before Ole Miss re-extended its lead with RBIs from Will Furniss and Luke Hill in the bottom of that inning. With the Rebels leading 7-3, it appeared that Ole Miss was well on its way to claiming a win over the Racers, but it surrendered a four-spot in the seventh to tie the game and one in the eighth to give MSU its first lead of the night.

The Rebels, however, managed to load the bases with two outs in the ninth, and a bases-loaded walk brought home the tying run that eventually sent the game to extras. After no runs from the 10th through 14th innings, Murray State broke through with a grand slam in the 15th that essentially sealed the game. Treyson Hughes, however, did hit a solo shot in the bottom half for Ole Miss.

On the mound, Ole Miss' Saunier worked 4.1 innings of three-hit, two-run ball while walking three and striking out five. He was relieved by a combination of nine arms, and JT Quinn was credited with the loss after Brayden Jones surrendered the grand slam with Quinn's three runners in the 15th.

Ole Miss will look to regroup as it welcomes the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies to Swayze Field this weekend. First pitch in the series opener is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.