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Ole Miss fans hit mass exodus early amid Murray State seven-run lead in regional final

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels06/03/25ChandlerVessels

Ole Miss fans had seen enough with the Rebels trailing by a wide margin against Murray State in a regional final game of the NCAA Baseball Tournament on Monday. With the Racers leading 10-3 in the top of the seventh inning, people in the crowd began to hit the exits as they could sense the inevitable.

Fans were seen filing out of their seats as Murray State continued to pile on to its lead. The Racers scored another two runs as the fans were leaving to increase their lead to 12-3 heading into the bottom of the inning. Of course, the Rebels’ season will be over if they cannot come back to win.

Even with Ole Miss fans exiting the stadium, the Rebels nearly rallied from down nine runs after a big seventh inning. They scored five runs thanks in large part to some blunders from the Racers pitching staff, which at one point gave up four straight walks.

That made it a 12-8 game headed into the eighth inning but Ole Miss wasn’t done yet. A three-run shot from Brayden Randle made it a one-run game, and that was where it would stay going into the ninth.

Unfortunately, that was all they could muster and were down to their final three outs heading into the ninth inning. Ole Miss went three up, three down including two strikeouts as their season came to an end.

Walker Hooks got the start for the Rebels and was the most rested arm of the staff having thrown only six pitches this weekend. Mason Morris was a consideration and was the going to be one of the first two hit the mound but what order it was not determined until Monday.

Hooks got the call, lasting 2.1 innings and giving up five runs – all earned – off eight hits to put Ole Miss in an early hole that was too deep to get out off.

“We emptied the tank and when Joel (Mangrum) and I talked last night, it’s just too hard after the game. It’s really late,” coach Mike Bianco said. “You’re asking these pitchers to do something they haven’t done all year. …Kudos to coach Mangrum being able to prepare them and have them in shape to be able to do some of this. But you can tell when guys are pitching second, third time out it’s just not the same stuff.”