Big Day From Simmons, Fischer Help Rebels Even Series vs. Iowa

The Ole Miss Rebels used some clutch bullpen work and a middle-inning rally to claim a win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon.

OXFORD, Miss. -- Quarterback by night, relief pitcher by day, Austin Simmons played a vital role in the Ole Miss Rebels' 12-5 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field.

The Rebels fell behind to the Hawkeyes 5-1 early after a shaky outing from starting pitcher JT Quinn, but they managed to chip away slowly while the Ole Miss bullpen kept the Iowa offense at bay in the middle innings.

Ole Miss LHP Austin Simmons did not allow a baserunner across his 2.0 innings of work on Saturday / Ole Miss Athletics

A 1.1-inning performance from Mitch Murrell, 2.0 innings from Simmons and 2.0 from Josh Mallitz kept the Hawkeyes off the board while the Rebels climbed back to claim a 7-5 lead entering the seventh inning. Simmons' outing saw six straight Hawkeyes retired at the plate, and he was on the hill when Ole Miss claimed its first lead of the day in the fifth inning.

Speaking of grabbing a lead, the Ole Miss offense saw its share of bright spots on Saturday, including two home runs by third baseman Andrew Fischer for three RBIs, part of his five-RBI day overall. The Rebels pushed across a run apiece in the first, third and sixth innings paired with two runs apiece in the fourth and fifth to claim its lead it did not relinquish late in the game.

Rebels Implode Late, Drop Series Opener to Iowa

Although the Rebels did put up 11 hits on the day, they also received 14 free passes and left 13 men on base in the win.

Ole Miss now improves to 7-5 on the year, and it will look to claim a series win over the Hawkeyes on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Swayze Field is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.