Brayden Randle breaks out as Ole Miss wins marathon to open NCAA Tournament
Ole Miss junior shortstop Brayden Randle – who entered Friday night’s NCAA Tournament game against Arizona State as the leadoff hitter in the eighth inning – hit a walk-off single in the 14th inning, leading No. 2 seeded Rebels over No. 3 seeded Sun Devils 7-6 and entered the Parket Regional winners bracket.
Ole Miss (37-21) will play host to Nebraska on Saturday night.
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The Rebels’ bullpen duo of sophomore Walker Hooks and junior Hudson Calhoun pitched seven scoreless innings to close out the game. Second baseman Hayden Federico led the Rebels with four hits, while senior third baseman Judd Utermark and senior pitcher Tristan Bissetta each hit home runs.
Friday was a contest of ace lefties in Rebels stalwart Hunter Elliott and Arizona State’s Cole Carlon, though neither was doing very well. Elliott, the lone survivor of the 2022 national title team, gave up four earned runs over five innings of work on four hits and four walks. Carlon, a first-team All-Big 12 selection, gave up six earned runs over 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
Arizona State’s Nu’u Contrades (37-20) hit two home runs, though shortstop Landon Hairston – 2026 Most Outstanding Player – went 0 for 4 at the plate.
The first four batters of the game reached Elliott, and the Sun Devils got two in the first inning on a walk and three singles. Utermark scored his record-tying 50th career run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead in half.
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Contrades led off the third with a solo home run to deep left, and the Rebels answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior first baseman Will Furniss tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run double before shortstop Tristan Bissetta blasted a 432-yard two-run home run to right field that put Ole Miss ahead for the first time. Junior second baseman Dom Decker’s two-out double in the fourth put the Rebels ahead by three.
Arizona State’s Dean Toigo hit a solo homer in the fifth to put the Rebels on a five-run scoring streak, though Elliott singled at second and third to end the inning.
Hooks entered the game in the sixth and retired the team in order but gave up two runs to Contrades in the seventh to tie the game 6-6. Hooks pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief, giving up two earned runs on four hits. He threw a season-high 75 pitches.
The Rebels loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with singles from Furniss and Federico and a walk from junior catcher Austin Fawley, but sophomore shortstop Owen Paino struck out to end the inning. After Hooks left the side in order in the top of the ninth, Decker drew a single and advanced to second on a groundout. But freshman first baseman Luke Romine — who entered the game after Furniss was grounded out in the eighth — homered to send the game into overtime.
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Back-to-back singles from Federico and Randle put the Rebels on top to win the game in the bottom of the 10th, but Fawley and Paino both struck out to end the inning.
Calhoun entered the game in the 11th with a runner on second and got the final two outs — the last of Contrades’ hits following an intentional walk to Hairston. Calhoun allowed just one hit in his 3 2/3 innings of work.
A one-out double by Federico and an Arizona State wild pitch put the winning run at third in the 12th inning, but Federico was thrown out at home on a grounder from Randle. Romine and Bissetta led off the 14th with walks, and Federico followed with an infield single to load the bases. Randle took the first pitch of his at-bat into the right side of the infield to end the game.
Ole Miss faces the No. 1 seed. 1 Nebraska on Saturday at 7 p.m
