The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, February 28
Houston, Texas
11:05 AM
Ole Miss
10-1
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Ohio State
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No. 25 Baseball Shuts Out Ohio State Behind Townsend’s Career Day
2/28/2026 | Baseball
HOUSTON, Texas – Dom Decker went deep twice, Brett Moseley hit a grand slam, and Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe each struck out a career high as No. 25 Ole Miss Baseball (10-1) defeated Ohio State (5-4) Saturday morning 8-0.
It was the Rebels first shutout of the season and the first since they beat LSU in the 2025 SEC Tournament 2-0, a game that Townsend also started.
Townsend earned his first win of the season, striking out nine batters and issuing just one walk over five scoreless innings. Nine strikeouts was a new career high for the sophomore, and he has now struck out 8+ hitters in each of his three starts this season.
Rabe earned the first save of his career, working the final four innings of the game and striking out a career-high seven batters. Each pitcher allowed just three hits and Townsend issued the only walk of the game.
Decker went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three runs scored. It was the first time in his career that he hit multiple home runs in one game. Moseley did not start on Saturday but entered the game defensively in the seventh, making the most of his one at bat with his first career grand slam.
Townsend was dominant from start to finish, striking out four batters in the first two innings. Two of the three hits he allowed came in the first inning, but he was able to keep runners from reaching third base all day.
Decker hit his first home run of the day in the third inning to make it 1-0 Ole Miss.
Collin Reuter followed with a solo shot in the fourth, his second of the season, and Decker hit his second of the game in the fifth. The Rebels held a 3-0 lead when Townsend exited after five innings of work.
Rabe came out of the bullpen to start the sixth inning, allowing just two baserunners during the sixth and the seventh.
The Rebels loaded the bases in the eighth on walks from Decker and Reuter and a single from Judd Utermark. Will Furniss drew a walk to score a run and bring Moseley to the plate. The redshirt freshman smacked the first pitch he saw into the Crawford Boxes in left field for a grand slam to make it 8-0.
Rabe retired the Buckeyes in order in the eighth and after a leadoff single to begin the ninth, got the next three batters to lock down the win.
Ole Miss will play their final game of the 2026 BRUCE BOLT College Classic Sunday morning at 10:05 a.m. against No. 9 Coastal Carolina.
STAY CONNECTED
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on X at @CoachMikeBianco.
It was the Rebels first shutout of the season and the first since they beat LSU in the 2025 SEC Tournament 2-0, a game that Townsend also started.
Townsend earned his first win of the season, striking out nine batters and issuing just one walk over five scoreless innings. Nine strikeouts was a new career high for the sophomore, and he has now struck out 8+ hitters in each of his three starts this season.
Rabe earned the first save of his career, working the final four innings of the game and striking out a career-high seven batters. Each pitcher allowed just three hits and Townsend issued the only walk of the game.
Decker went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three runs scored. It was the first time in his career that he hit multiple home runs in one game. Moseley did not start on Saturday but entered the game defensively in the seventh, making the most of his one at bat with his first career grand slam.
Townsend was dominant from start to finish, striking out four batters in the first two innings. Two of the three hits he allowed came in the first inning, but he was able to keep runners from reaching third base all day.
Decker hit his first home run of the day in the third inning to make it 1-0 Ole Miss.
Collin Reuter followed with a solo shot in the fourth, his second of the season, and Decker hit his second of the game in the fifth. The Rebels held a 3-0 lead when Townsend exited after five innings of work.
Rabe came out of the bullpen to start the sixth inning, allowing just two baserunners during the sixth and the seventh.
The Rebels loaded the bases in the eighth on walks from Decker and Reuter and a single from Judd Utermark. Will Furniss drew a walk to score a run and bring Moseley to the plate. The redshirt freshman smacked the first pitch he saw into the Crawford Boxes in left field for a grand slam to make it 8-0.
Rabe retired the Buckeyes in order in the eighth and after a leadoff single to begin the ninth, got the next three batters to lock down the win.
Ole Miss will play their final game of the 2026 BRUCE BOLT College Classic Sunday morning at 10:05 a.m. against No. 9 Coastal Carolina.
STAY CONNECTED
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on X at @CoachMikeBianco.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Townsend, Cade (1-0)
L: C. Domke (1-2)
S: Rabe, Taylor (1)
Batting:
HR: Decker, Dom 2 ; Reuter, Collin 1 ; Moseley, Brett 1
RBI: Decker, Dom 2 ; Reuter, Collin 1 ; Furniss, Will 1 ; Moseley, Brett 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Decker, Dom 3 ; Utermark, Judd 1 ; Reuter, Collin 2 ; Furniss, Will 1 ; Moseley, Brett 1
CS: Decker, Dom 1
Batting:
2B: N. Furcht 2
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C/IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
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