LINCOLN — Dom Decker flung his batting helmet skyward as Cannon Goldin crossed home plate to end a tense, extra‑inning battle Sunday night, giving Mississippi a 5-4, 10‑inning victory over Arizona State and punching the Rebels’ ticket to the super regional. The finish came after an extended game that required every ounce of focus from both clubs, and when the final run scored the celebration was immediate on the field.
An Ole Miss player (No. 32) jogs on the field after the walk‑off win over Arizona State that sent the Rebels into the super regional.
The decisive moment began with Decker — the second baseman — stepping into the left‑handed batter’s box with runners on the corners and Arizona State positioning five infielders toward the left side. Moments later, Goldin crossed the plate for the winning run, and Decker’s reaction made clear how much the outcome meant to the visitors. The play concluded the game in the 10th inning, handing the Rebels the one‑run victory that advanced them in the NCAA tournament.
The late finish was part of a night packed with regional drama. National and local coverage pointed to a wild day of upsets and late finishes across the weekend’s regional slate, with broadcasters and commentators noting the high stakes as teams vied for a spot in the super regional round. A special edition of the Husker baseball minute featured analysts Evan Bland and Gary Sharp discussing Nebraska’s win over South Dakota State, Ole Miss’ late‑night affair with Arizona State and the broader shuffle of results that characterized the regional schedule.
For Ole Miss, the outcome means the season continues and the Rebels will prepare for the next stage of postseason play. The 5-4 result in extra innings was the kind of narrow, dramatic finish that defines the NCAA regional format, and Mississippi’s clubhouse celebrated the victory that sends them on to the super regional. Teammates poured onto the field in the immediate aftermath, their reaction visible as players embraced each other after the final out was registered.
Arizona State, meanwhile, fell just short in a game that extended beyond the regulation nine innings. The Sun Devils employed an infield alignment late in the game that put pressure on Mississippi’s hitters, and their positioning was part of the dramatic tableau that led to the walk‑off ending. Despite that tactical adjustment, the game’s tenth inning belonged to the Rebels, who produced the decisive run to close out the contest.
Ole Miss teammates swarm and celebrate on the field after the walk‑off victory over Arizona State to advance to the super regional.
The scene following the final play underscored the stakes involved in postseason baseball: players and coaches reacted with visible relief and exhilaration as the realization set in that their season would continue. The walk‑off moved Mississippi forward at a moment when every pitch and every decision carried outsized importance, and the Rebels’ ability to finish the game in extra innings secured their progression into the next round.
Game coverage from around the region noted the string of dramatic finishes and surprising outcomes that marked the day. Broadcasters and analysts referenced the late‑night nature of the Ole Miss‑Arizona State game as part of a larger narrative of regional volatility, where single plays can shift momentum and determine which teams advance. For Ole Miss, the 10‑inning, 5-4 win will be cataloged as the result that sent the Rebels into the super regional, with Dom Decker and Cannon Goldin figures at the center of the closing sequence.