OXFORD, Miss. (Interstat) — Will Furniss and Tristan Bissetta hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday to lift Mississippi to a 5-3 victory over Auburn at Swayze Field.

The Rebels, who won their second consecutive game against the Tigers after a 6-4 victory Friday, improved to 41-21. Auburn fell to 42-22.

Auburn grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning with a two-out rally. Cade Rembert reached on a fielder’s choice and scored when Eric Bingaman singled and B. Terrell drove in two runs with a single through the right side.

Mississippi starter Taylor Rabe held the Tigers scoreless through the first three innings, but Auburn’s Alex Petrovic matched him with four shutout frames of his own. The Tigers managed only seven hits in the game, while Mississippi collected five.

The Rebels broke through in the bottom of the sixth. B. Randle singled and D. Decker reached on a hit-by-pitch. Judd Utermark then doubled to right center, scoring both runners to cut the deficit to 3-2. Jackson Sanders relieved Petrovic and got out of the inning without further damage.

Auburn threatened in the top of the eighth when C. Fralick and Rembert drew walks off reliever JP Robertson, but Bingaman flied out to center to end the inning.

The bottom of the eighth proved decisive. With one out, Utermark walked and advanced to second on a passed ball. Furniss then homered to right field, scoring Utermark and putting Mississippi ahead 4-3. Bissetta followed with a solo home run to right field, extending the lead to 5-3. Ryan Hetzler replaced Sanders and retired the next two batters.

In the top of the ninth, Walker Hooks took over on the mound for Mississippi. Terrell singled up the middle, and C. Belyeu was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. T. Belza hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Terrell, but M. McCraine grounded out to third to end the game.

Key defensive plays early kept the game scoreless. In the top of the first, Auburn’s Eric Guevara singled but was caught stealing second. Both teams traded groundouts and strikeouts through the first three innings. Mississippi’s best early chance came in the bottom of the fourth when Utermark walked, but Furniss grounded into a double play.

Auburn had a chance to add insurance in the top of the fifth when McCraine doubled with one out, but Guevara struck out and Fralick grounded out. The Tigers left two runners on base in the second inning as well.

Mississippi used four pitchers in the game. Rabe worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Robertson handled the eighth inning and took the win. Hooks earned the save. For Auburn, Petrovic went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts. Sanders took the loss after allowing two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.

The game featured a total of 12 hits and no errors. Mississippi pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts while Auburn pitchers recorded nine.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Auburn 7, Mississippi 6. Interstat’s ELO system had given Mississippi a 50.70 percent probability to win. Auburn had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 1.5.