Turner’s Walk-Off Homer Lifts #22 Arkansas to Series-Clinching Win against #17 Ole Miss

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – True freshman Christian Turner’s two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted No. 22 Arkansas (32-17, 13-11 SEC) to a 5-4 walk-off win against No. 17 Ole Miss (32-17, 12-12 SEC) in the rubber game Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium, punctuating a thrilling finish to the Hogs’ series-clinching victory over the Rebels.

Thanks to Turner’s heroics, Arkansas clinched its sixth consecutive weekend series against Ole Miss (2021-26) as well as its third consecutive weekend series played inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium (2022, 2024 and 2026).

After falling behind in the count, Nolan Souza worked an eight-pitch at-bat before lining a single to right field to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning and set the table for Turner, who had entered as a pinch runner for Zack Stewart in the seventh. The Haughton, La., native battled Ole Miss relief ace Walker Hooks for six pitches, fouling off four of them before hammering the seventh and final one he saw over the wall in right center for the Razorbacks’ walk-off winner.

The home run, just the second of Turner’s career and his first in SEC play, was one of three that the Hogs hit in Sunday’s series-clinching win. Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, Stewart launched a solo shot, his eighth of the season, before Kuhio Aloy blasted a 469-foot solo homer at 117 mph, his third in as many days, in the sixth to tie the game.

Ole Miss would retake the lead on a solo home run to lead off the eighth inning, but Turner’s two-run tater in the ninth sealed Arkansas’ 5-4 walk-off win, the Razorbacks’ second against an SEC opponent this year. TJ Pompey’s walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the ninth against Mississippi State on March 13 powered the Hogs to an SEC Opening Day win.

On the mound, Gabe Gaeckle started and turned in four innings of three-run ball (two earned) with five strikeouts. Parker Coil entered in relief and spun three shutout frames with three strikeouts before giving way to Ethan McElvain, who closed out the ballgame with two innings of one-run ball and two strikeouts to improve to a perfect 4-0 this season.

Aloy (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) was one of two Hogs, along with Souza (2-for-4), with multiple hits in the series-clinching win. The Razorback designated hitter slashed a team-leading .583/.583/1.417 with seven hits, including three long balls, and six RBI on the weekend to raise his season slash line to .314/.373/.510 with eight homers and 38 RBI through 42 games.

Up next, Arkansas hosts Oklahoma at Baum-Walker Stadium in the final SEC home weekend series of the season. First pitch in the opener between the Razorbacks and Sooners is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, May 8, on SEC Network+.

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