By Jeff Roberson

Ole Miss Sports

The outcome of Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference Championship game was not decided until the last out was recorded Sunday afternoon at Hoover Met Stadium. It was the Commodores who came out on top 3-2.

Before 13,518, the fourth-largest championship game crowd in tournament history, the Rebels fell to 40-19 this season, while the Commodores improved to 43-16.

Vanderbilt scored two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run to left by Brodie Johnston to take the lead. From that point on, until he was out of the game after the fourth inning, Rebel starter Walker Hooks took care of the Commodores.

After that bottom of the first, both starting pitchers worked scoreless frames through four innings. In the top of the fifth Ole Miss got a run to cut the Vandy lead in half. After there were two outs, Hayden Federico walked and the Commodores changed pitchers.

Starter Austin Nye departed for Miller Green at that point. One pitch later, after Mitchell Sanford singled to score Federico, Nye was out of the contest. Luke Guth replaced him.

Luke Hill then sent a ball deep to right that was just short of going out of the ballpark. The score was Vanderbilt 2, Ole Miss 1 after the top of the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Taylor Rabe relieved Hooks and the Commodores struck quickly. Vanderbilt led 3-1 on a solo home run by the first batter Rabe faced, Jacob Humphrey, who slid one just inside the right field foul pole for a 3-1 Commodore lead.

The Rebels got something going in the top of the seventh. Campbell Smithwick walked and after an out, Federico walked. Levie Huesman came in to pitch for Vandy, and Collin Reuter was the pinch hitter for Ole Miss, but a 6-4-3 double play ended the Rebel threat.

Hudson Calhoun replaced Rabe, who had pitched well, to start the Commodore seventh. The Rebel righthander went the rest of the way as the Commodores failed to add to their runs total.

Ole Miss had two runners on in the top of the ninth when the game ended and had trimmed the VU lead to one run.

After one out in the ninth, Isaac Humphrey solo homered to right off Sawyer Hawks, who had also pitched the eighth. The lead for Vandy was down to 3-2.

After another out, Austin Fawley walked and advanced to second on a balk. Then Federico reached on a walk and Ole Miss had something going, but Randle popped up to center field to end it.

Guth (4-0) got the win and Hawks the save, his seventh this season. Hooks is now 1-1 on the season.

Judd Utermark, Hunter Elliott, and Conner Spencer made the all-tournament team from Ole Miss.