FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- It was a grind it out ballgame with the Rebels holding on for a chance, and Matt Smith took the opportunity with a bases loaded single in the seventh to help push No. 9 Ole Miss (39-15, 19-10 SEC) into the lead and on to a 9-3 win over No. 16 Arkansas (32-19, 14-14 SEC) on Friday night.

The win pushed the Rebels into a tie for first place in the overall SEC standings and set the school record for conference wins in a season with 19 on the year. It also clinched the series for the Rebels, the seventh series win of the year for Ole Miss.

With the Rebels trailing 3-2 in the seventh and the bases loaded, Smith drove a single up the middle to score two runs and put Ole Miss in the lead. Kyle Henson then came up with a three-run home run in the next at bat to extend the lead to 8-3 and the Rebels held Arkansas off the board down the stretch for the win.

Brett Bukvich (9-2) picked up the win for the Rebels as he worked 6.0 innings and held the Razorbacks to three runs - two earned - on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Nathan Baker then picked up his first save of the year with 3.0 innings of scoreless work as he limited Arkansas to one hit and struck out four.

With the win, Bukvich moved into a tie for fourth on the career wins list at Ole Miss with 24 in his career.

Reliever T.J. Forrest (2-5) suffered the loss for the Razorbacks as he allowed three runs on one hit with two walks and a strikeout.

“We did what we’ve been able to do most of the year, and that’s put innings together and come up with hits with runners in scoring position,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “I thought it was really a grind it out game where we didn’t play well early. But, we were able to stay in the game, believe in ourselves and keep competing.”

Arkansas got on the board in the first inning with a two-run home run from Scott Lyons that scored lead-off hitter Chase Leavitt. Leavitt reached base on a play that was ruled an error after initially being called out by the first base umpire. Arkansas appealed the decision ad the home plate umpire overruled the decision, calling Leavitt out of the dugout and placing him back on base before the Lyons hit.

The Razorbacks added a third run in the second when Collin Kuhn crossed the plate on a sac fly from Leavitt. Kuhn singled before taking third on a double down the left field line from James McCann. Arkansas led 3-0 after two complete.

Ole Miss got on the board in the fourth when Henson belted an RBI double off the wall in left center, scoring Smith from first. Henson took second on a sac bunt from Zach Miller and then scored on a sac fly from David Phillips to cut the lead to 3-2 in favor of the Razorbacks.

The Rebels then opened things up with a six run inning in the seventh as Ole Miss capitalized on three Arkansas errors and used four hits - including a three-run home run from Henson - to push through the big inning and take an 8-3 lead.

After loading the bases with one out because of a throwing error by Arkansas, Smith ripped a two-RBI single up the middle to score Logan Power and Jordan Henry and push Matt Snyder to third. Henson then belted out his three run shot to give the Rebels a 6-3 lead. Miller then drew a walk before moving to third on a single to right from David Phillips. The Arkansas throw to third was not fielded cleanly, allowing Miller to advance home and score the sixth run of the inning.

Ole Miss added to the lead in the eighth when Smith scored on a single from Henson. Smith doubled and then stole third before scoring on the Henson hit. The Rebels led 9-3 heading into the bottom half of the inning.

Baker then kept the Razorbacks off the board the rest of the way to preserve the win and clinch the series for the Rebels with the 9-3 win.

Ole Miss and Arkansas will face-off in the regular season finale at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday at Baum Stadium.