OXFORD | Ole Miss was down to its last strike twice but found a way to get it done.
The Rebels scored two in the ninth to force extra innings, and Hayden Federico hit a walk-off single in the 10th, as Ole Miss beat Murray State 8-7 for its 10th straight victory. The Rebels are 11-1 and finish up a 13-game homestand this weekend against Jacksonville State.
"We didn't play very well for a lot of night, but I'm proud of the way we hung in there," Mike Bianco said. "We didn't put at-bats together until we had to late."
Ole Miss got two on in the ninth after two-out singles by Ryan Moerman and Isaac Humphrey, bringing Judd Utermark to the plate.
He walked on a full count to loaded the bases, and Will Furniss lofted a single into left-center. The hit tied the game, and Murray easily threw out Utermark, who third base coach Mike Clement sent home in an effort to score from first base.
In the 10th, Brayden Randle doubled, Owen Paino singled, and Federico hit a first-pitch changeup for his first hit of the day.
It's the second straight game in the series to go extra innings. Murray State beat Ole Miss in 15 innings a year ago.
Utermark hit his sixth and seventh home runs of the season. Both were solo shots -- one traveling 398 feet and one traveling 400 feet.
The Rebels led by three runs after six innings before falling apart during a six-run Murray State seventh inning.
Cade Townsend, the true freshman, walked the first three batters he faced -- two of them from way ahead in the count.
Brayden Jones took over, and Utermark couldn't handle a roller in the infield. Then, Murray State put together a single, a double and two more singles off Jones. Gunnar Dennis finally finished the inning with a strikeout.
"We did a lot of gifting in there," Bianco said. "We set the table for them, and then they got after our best gun with BJ. Credit to them because they capitalized."
Murray State was 8-for-30 with runners on base and stranded 13 runners.
Infielder Luke Hill missed the game with a stomach virus.
Ole Miss was 6-for-14 with runners on base and only got the leadoff batter aboard once. Ryan Moerman had three hits including a double, and Mitch Sanford and Humphrey scored twice for the Rebels.
Taylor Rabe started and made his collegiate debut. The redshirt freshman, fresh off Tommy John recovery, threw two perfect innings on only 18 pitches, 14 of which were strikes.
"It was great," Rabe said. "I was excited to get back out here. I knew I was on a tight pitch count, so I wanted to control what I could control and throw a ton of strikes."
Ryne Rodriguez and Will McCausland blanked Murray for 1.2 innings and two innings, respectively.The Rebels threw nine different pitchers.
Dennis went 1.2 scoreless, and Alex Canney and Walker Hooks each threw a scoreless frame to allow Ole Miss to get back in it and then win it. Hooks stranded runners at second and third in the 10th inning.
