By: Jeff Roberson

Three home runs in the bottom of the sixth inning accounted for four runs and lifted No. 17 Ole Miss to a 7-4 Friday night victory against visiting Jacksonville State.

Trailing 4-2 with two outs in the inning, there were two outs, Austin Fawley homered over the center field wall, followed by a Will Furniss homer to right. After Luke Cheng was hit by a pitch, Hayden Federico launched one to right and the Rebels led 6-4.

The last time an Ole Miss team hit as many as three homers in one inning was just last season in a 25-2 win against High Point on Feb. 25, 2024. In that game, the Rebels hit four in the first inning by Furniss, Ethan Groff, Jackson Ross, and Reagan Burford.

The Rebels were down 2-0 when Judd Utermark doubled and Isaac Humphrey homered in the second to tie the contest. Right-hander Mason Morris relieved starter LHP Hunter Elliott in the fourth with one out and the Rebels down 4-2. 
 Morris pitched a career-high 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts, also a career high. He allowed just one hit and no runs with three walks.

Elliott allowed four runs on five hits, three walks, and three hit batters. He struck out five. JSU scored a run in the first, a run in the second, and two runs in the third, but that was all they would scratch across after Morris entered the contest.
 In the bottom of the eighth, Furniss walked and later scored on a Cheng single to make it 7-4 Rebels.
 Connor Spencer came in after Morris to close the game out in the ninth for the Rebels, facing three Gamecock batters with two fly outs and a strikeout.

Spencer got his second save of 2025, and Morris got his second win to go with no losses this season. 
 Ole Miss outhit Jacksonville State 10-6. The Rebels were led by Ryan Moerman with two hits, and a multitude of players with one each – Federico, Luke Hill, Mitchell Sanford, Utermark, Humphrey, Fawley, Furniss, and Cheng.

The Rebels (12-1) and the Gamecocks (10-4) play game two of the weekend series at 1:30 p.m. today.