FAYETTEVILLE -- It looked like the University of Arkansas baseball team would get the tying run on first base in the ninth inning when Jacob Nesbit took a 1-2 pitch from Ole Miss closer Parker Caracci off his left shoulder.
But instead of being awarded first base, Nesbit was called out by home plate umpire Eddie Newsom, who ruled he either leaned into the pitch or didn't attempt to get out of the way.
Under a first-year rule, the pitch was called a strike, which resulted in the third strike on Nesbit. The call then was upheld after a replay review by the SEC office.
Ole Miss held on to win 4-3 on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium before an announced crowd of 4,767 after Caracci struck out Casey Opitz and Christian Franklin flied out to deep right field to end the game.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he didn't get a clarification from Newsom when Nesbit was called out.
"The rule is, I guess, they have to try to figure out if [the batter] tried to make an attempt to get out of the way," Van Horn said. "The problem with the call is the pitcher made a mistake. He's got a breaking ball that starts out probably just a little bit behind the hitter.
"The hitter doesn't know where to go, so the instinct is you're just going to turn. He didn't turn in with his shoulder. He just turned in because he thought the ball was going to hit him in the back and then it actually came back a little bit.
"Tough for the umpires to make that call. That's the hand they've been dealt because that's the rule. Then since he already had two strikes on him, it's strike three. So they go back and review it and who knows what they saw, but the chances of them changing that are slim to none."
Van Horn didn't try to use the controversial call as an excuse for Arkansas (22-5, 6-2 SEC) not having a better chance to tie or win the game in the ninth inning.
The Razorbacks left six runners on base, including five in the first four innings when they took a 3-1 lead.
"We got our breaks during the game," Van Horn said. "You only get so many shots in a game, and we had three or four early and we didn't do anything."
Arkansas leadoff hitter Casey Martin was on base four times. He went 3 for 3 with a walk, but he didn't score. The Razorbacks' 2 though 5 hitters -- Heston Kjerstad, Trevor Ezell, Dominic Fletcher and Matt Goodheart -- went a combined 0 for 14.
"I guess there's no excuses in that as good as we've been hitting," Martin said. "It's a little frustrating, but then again that's baseball. That's just how it goes.
"[The Rebels] made good pitches and we didn't make swings. That's on us. We'll figure it out, and we'll hit like we have been."
The game was tied 3-3 in the ninth inning when Kevin Graham hit a leadoff single against Arkansas reliever Kevin Kopps. Jacob Adams followed with a drive to center field that was caught at the wall by Fletcher to rob him of an extra-base hit.
Two batters later, Grae Kessinger hit a two-out double to score Graham and put the Rebels ahead 4-3.
"Fletcher made just a remarkable, Sportscenter Top-10 type of play," Ole Miss Coach Mike Bianco said. "It's kind of deflating. But all of a sudden Grae gets up there and hits a double and wins the game for us."
Rebels starting pitcher Doug Nikhazy, a freshman left-hander, gave up a two-run home run to Jack Kenley and a home run to Franklin in the fourth inning, but he lasted 5⅔ innings.
"I thought he pitched really well," Van Horn said. "He moved the fastball in and out on left- and right-handed hitters. He threw a pretty good changeup. He made some mistakes with his breaking ball, but we never could square it up.
"He gave them plenty of innings to get where they wanted to get with their bullpen."
Bianco credited Nikhazy with escaping situations with runners on base.
"Doug maybe wasn't at his best with a lot of traffic on the bases, but he was able to make some pitches and get off the field," Bianco said. "Arkansas has such a tough lineup to navigate through, so I'm proud of him as a true freshman in this type of environment to hang in there."
The Rebels (19-9, 4-4) got home runs from Tyler Keenan in the fifth inning off Connor Noland and Cole Zabowski in the sixth inning off Kole Ramage to tie the game 3-3.
Noland, a freshman right-hander, started and went 4⅔ innings after going 1⅔ at Alabama last weekend.
"Obviously, last week didn't go as planned," Noland said. "I struggled for two innings to get anything going. It's good to get back on my feet pitching-wise and do some good stuff out there."
If Nesbit hadn't been called out in the ninth inning, Martin was three at-bats away.
"[Nesbit] didn't leave the box, but he did turn his shoulder in an attempt to get out of the way, and the rule states if you do that it's dead ball first base," Martin said. "I think it's a bad call. I think it's a bad rule overall, and I think they kind of messed up on it personally.
"He gets on base, that gives us a lot of momentum and that kind of killed it right there. But who knows what would have happened if he had got on first?"
The Razorbacks beat the Rebels 5-3 in Friday night's opener, so today's game decides the series winner.
"You've got to bring it on Sundays," Martin said. "That's just part of the game."
Sports on 03/31/2019