OXFORD | Xavier Rivas provided a solid Sunday blueprint with conference play up next.

The transfer from Indianapolis went six innings —tying the Ole Miss season high by any pitcher — and gave up one run, as the Rebels swept Purdue with a 6-1 victory.

Ole Miss has won eight straight games and travels to Jacksonville State before a three-game set at Vanderbilt beginning Thursday. Freshman Jordan Vera will start for Ole Miss.

The Rebels went 8-1 in nine Big Ten games over three weekends.

“It was by far his best outing, and he commanded the game,” Mike Bianco said. “It was what we know he can look like.”

Rivas pitched around six hits and a walk but made enough big pitches to strand six runners and threw 71 strikes in 98 pitches. The lack of free passes helped Ole Miss win one of the few low-scoring games of the season — until Ole Miss piled it on with three runs in the eighth. The Rebels led by two runs through seven innings.

Rivas on Sunday and Jack Dougherty against Maryland nine days ago are the only times this season a Rebel pitcher has gone at least six innings. The lefty had only three three-ball counts in 25 batters faced.

Rivas abandoned the curve ball and paired only the slider with his fastball and changeup. Bianco said not to get carried away, but Rivas’ fastball had glove-side run similar to former Rebel Doug Nikhazy.

“I was really happy with my command and not giving away bases,” Rivas said. “Even on an 0-2 single in the first, that’s fine with me.”

Ethan Lege went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. He also had a sacrifice fly. Lege, who has six of the Rebels’ nine errors on the season, had two two-out singles, scoring three runs in total.

TJ McCants had two hits and scored twice.

Kemp Alderman walked on all four plate appearances.

Purdue left 14 runners on base and were 2-for-18 with runners on base and 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. The Boilermakers stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth innings.

JT Quinn inherited two runners with one out in the seventh and stranded them with a strikeout and a fly out around a walk.

An inning later, Sam Tookoian inherited the same and hit a batter to start his outing before a strikeout and a pop up stranded the three runners.

Mitch Murrell got the final two outs for his first save.