OXFORD —  No. 8 Ole Miss defeated Murray State in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, in a game that featured a back-and-forth affair before the excitement escalated with a walk-off finale in the bottom of the ninth. 

With the game knotted at six, Thomas Dillard ensured the victory by scoring from third on a wild pitch. The umpires went back and reviewed the photo finish and determined Dillard was safe as the Rebels secured a 7-6 victory.

With the win, the Rebels moved to 8-0 for the first time since 2008 and managed to complete the entire eight-game sweep of the homestand to lead off the year.

Dillard led off the ninth with a single, followed by a pair of walks to Cooper Johnson and Tyler Keenan, and scored on a 1-1 count to push the Rebels over the Racers, in a game that saw Murray State lead just an inning prior. The final innings featured much excitement, including an eighth inning that saw the lead swing multiple times, first in favor of the Racers and then back to a tied score.

The Rebels responded with a Ryan Olenek RBI single in the eighth, however, followed by Dillard’s walk-off dash from third to take back the lead and, ultimately, the victory.

Prior to the late-inning excitement, however, early innings were dominated by Murray State, who got off to an electric start with four runs in the first, including three before the first out. The Racers got on the board early with a three-run home run from the bat of Davis Sims, followed by an RBI double to give them their last of the inning.

Houston Roth, who earned his second Tuesday start in as many weeks, went five innings, striking out six on five hits and four runs, allowing just the four runs he gave up in the first.

The Rebels did not strike back until the middle inning, when they scored one run in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Murray State jumped back ahead 6-5 after scoring one run in the seventh and one run in the eighth.

Tuesday’s matchup with Murray State was the last in the eight-game homestand to open the year, and the Rebels will now jet off to face Long Beach State, a national seed last year, in a three-game series beginning Friday in California.