OXFORD — Murray State threw a scare into Ole Miss in a midweek game back in March. On its return trip to Oxford it finished the job.

Dustin Mercer set a school record with four doubles, and drove in three runs as well, as No. 4 seed Murray State stunned top-seeded Ole Miss 9-6 on Friday in the NCAA baseball tournament’s Oxford Regional.

Murray State (40-13) won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1979. It lost 8-7 to Ole Miss in 10 innings in its earlier visit and showed Friday that it was no fluke.

Mercer hit an RBI double in the second inning as the Racers jumped to a 4-0 lead. Ole Miss took the lead in the fourth inning after a three-run home run by Judd Utermark, a solo shot by Campbell Smithwick, and an RBI single by Luke Hill, but never shook free.

After the teams traded runs again, Dom Decker delivered an RBI single in the eighth to put the Racers back in front 7-6. A two-run double by Mercer in the ninth gave them some needed breathing room.

Ole Miss (40-20) loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Smithwick popped out to second base to end it.

Murray State will play Georgia Tech in the winners’ bracket Saturday at 5 p.m. Ole Miss will face Western Kentucky in an elimination game at 1 p.m.

Georgia Tech beat Western Kentucky 9-2 earlier Friday.

Columbia 11, Southern Miss 4
Owen Estabrook and Anton Lazits homered, Hunter Snyder had four hits and scored three runs, and Columbia (30-17) shocked top-seeded Southern Miss (44-15) in the opening game of the Hattiesburg Regional.

Lazits hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning to give Columbia a lead it never relinquished. The Ivy League champions scored four runs in the fourth inning as Sam Miller doubled in two runs and Griffin Palfrey drove him home with another double for a 6-1 lead.

Three Columbia pitchers combined to allow five hits and record 10 strikeouts.

Jake Cook and Joey Urban had two hits apiece for Southern Miss Miss. Cook had one RBI and Urban scored a run.

Southern Miss will play an elimination game against Alabama Saturday at 2 p.m. Alabama lost 5-3 to Miami earlier Friday.

Columbia will play Miami in a winners’ bracket game Saturday at 8 p.m.

Mississippi State 11, Northeastern 2
Joe Powell doubled, homered and drove in four runs, and Gatlin Sanders was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs as Mississippi State (34-21) routed Northeastern (48-10) in the Tallahassee Regional.

Northeastern had its 27-game winning streak snapped.

Powell hit an RBI double and Sanders a two-run singled in the second inning, and then the Bulldogs scored four more runs in the third to take control. Powell belted a two-run home run during the third-inning rally and Bryce Chance hit an RBI double.

Noah Sullivan hit a two-run homer for the Bulldogs in the ninth.

Ben Davis and Ryan McPherson combined for a solid pitching performance. Davis pitched five innings and allowed five hits and two walks, and McPherson followed with four shutout innings out of the bullpen. Each pitcher struck out three batters.

Northeastern will face Bethune-Cookman in an elimination game Saturday at 11 a.m. Mississippi State will play regional host Florida State at 5 p.m. in the winners’ bracket.

Florida State beat Bethune-Cookman 6-2 earlier Friday.

LSU 7, Little Rock 0
Daniel Dickinson homered twice and had three RBIs, and three LSU pitchers combined on a shutout as the Tigers (44-14) beat Little Rock (24-33) in the Baton Rouge Regional.

Anthony Eyanson scattered five hits, walked one batter and struck out seven in 7 2/3 innings pitched for LSU. He retired 14 of 15 batters at one point. DJ Primeaux and Mavrick Rizy finished up the shutout.

Michael Braswell III and Derek Curiel hit RBI doubles for LSU, which will play Dallas Baptist or Rhode Island in a winners’ bracket game Saturday at 8 p.m.