OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss used a four-run sixth inning to break open a tie game Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field on the way to handing Missouri State a 6-3 defeat.
 
The Rebels (7-0) scored a run in the first inning as the only tally against starter Max Knight, who finished with seven strikeouts, including six consecutively at one point, while allowing a run on two hits in four innings. The junior also collected a hit and played first base, marking his 17^th career game with a base hit and a pitching appearance.
 
Jax Ryan's first home run as a Bear tied the score in the fifth and made it nine Bears (3-3) with a round-tripper so far this season, but the Rebels broke it open the next frame.
 
Ole Miss loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth and got a bases-clearing double from Austin Fawley, who later scored for a 5-1 lead for the home team.
 
MoState halved the deficit to 5-3 in the eighth as Ryan and Gabe Roessler opened with singles and scored on RBI ground outs by Caden Bogenpohl and Bryce Cermenelli. Taeg Gollert slugged his 62^nd career double in between, tying Matt Gardner for second place on the Bears' career list.
 
The Rebels got insurance in the bottom half with a leadoff walk coming around on a stolen base and two outs for the 6-3 final.
 
Missouri State pitching piled up 11 strikeouts to reach double figures for the second straight day. Ryan went 2-for-3 with a walk as the only Bear with multiple hits in the contest.
 
The series finale is set for 1:30 p.m. Sunday.