HOOVER, Ala. — Arkansas baseball appears to have forgotten how to lose baseball games. The Razorbacks took down Ole Miss 3-2 on Saturday to advance to the SEC Tournament final, a rematch with Tennessee and Tony Vitello.
Caleb Bolden gave Arkansas just what they needed, dealing four shutout innings in the start. Cullen Smith provided the early offense, a two-run shot in the first jettisoning the Hogs into the lead.
The fifth inning was less than ideal. Depending on who you ask, leaving Hoover healthy is more important than leaving Hoover with a title. After just a few pitches, Zebulon Vermillion signaled for a trainer and had to be removed from the game. Monke entered and struggled, giving up two runs to tie the game before Heston Tole entered and cleaned up the mess.
Tole went 1.2 scoreless, setting up Connor Noland for the ultimate redemption appearance. Noland shut down the Rebels for the final three innings, striking out four and giving up exactly zero hits. Battles doubled in Welch in the sixth for a 3-2 lead, and that's all Arkansas would need.