FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Kendall Diggs called the game.
The true freshman’s three-run homer late in the ninth gave No. 5 Arkansas (33-10, 13-7 SEC) a thrilling 6-3 win over Ole Miss (24-18, 7-13 SEC) Saturday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Saturday night’s win tied the series at one game apiece. Arkansas will earn its first home series win over Ole Miss since 2015 in Sunday’s final, which airs on ESPN at noon with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) on the call. .
With one out and two runners in the bottom of the ninth, Diggs hammered a 3-2 pitch from Ole Miss reliever Jack Dougherty over the wall at right for the first-round victory. The true freshman, starting his first SEC game since March 27 at Mizzou, ended his night with a team-leading three RBI.
Arkansas’ six points on Saturday night came via home run. Brady Slavens hit his 11th of the season late in the first, giving the Hogs an early 1-0 advantage.
Led by a run in the bottom of the fifth, Braydon Webb matched Slavens’ pace by popping his 11th long ball of the year. Webb’s two-run shot gave Arkansas its second lead of the night, which would hold until the eighth inning.
Left-hander Hagen Smith had another quality start, going six innings outing with eight strikeouts. The true freshman allowed just two runs on seven hits and two walks.
After Smith left, Ole Miss loaded the bases with no one in the top half of the eighth. However, the Rebels only eliminated one inning, as Brady Tygart (2.0 IP, 2 SO) came out of the bullpen relieving Evan Taylor (1.0 IP, 1 SO) to silence the threatens.
Tied at three going into the bottom of the ninth, Jace Bohrofen’s single and Webb’s walk brought Diggs to the plate with one out. The real freshman didn’t disappoint, delivering the winning dinner to end the night.
Sunday’s series finale between the Hogs and Rebels will be nationally televised on ESPN. This is the only ESPN appearance scheduled for an SEC baseball game during the 2022 season.
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