HAMMOND, La. – Ole Miss cruised in game one of Monday’s doubleheader at North Oak Park in Hammond, La., against Southeastern Louisiana en route to a 9-0 (6) win, but fell 3-2 in game two on a walk-off, two-run home run by the Lady Lions.
The Rebels got 6.1 solid innings from redshirt-freshman pitcher Emily Gaitan in game two, but couldn’t hold on to its 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning.
Ole Miss (20-19) got on the board first in game two when Brown hit an RBI single to left field that scored sophomore Haley Culley from second base.
Southeastern Louisiana responded in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI walk with the bases loaded to tie the game at 1-1. Ole Miss avoided further damage in the inning by turning an inning-ending 5-2-3 double play with the bases loaded.
Parra broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout to second base that scored pinch runner Miranda Strother from third base. Strother was pinch running for junior Lauren Lindsey, who led off the inning with a double into the right-center field gap.
The Lady Lions won the game in the bottom of the seventh on a walk-off, two-run home run to center field by designated player Amber Sather.
Ole Miss will play again Friday when it opens play against No. 12 Kentucky at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. Friday’s series opener will begin at 6 p.m. CT, while game two Saturday will start at 2 p.m., and first pitch for Sunday’s series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Rebels Cruise to 9-0 Victory in Game One
Behind 10 hits and at least one run in every inning of the game, Ole Miss cruised to a 9-0 (6) victory in game one of Monday’s doubleheader at Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La.
Sophomore shortstop Haley Culley led Ole Miss at the plate, going 2-3 with a home run and four RBIs.
In the circle, senior pitcher Carly Hummel (9-7) picked up the win, striking out six batters in 4.0 innings of work and giving up just two hits. Fellow senior Shelby Jo Fenter came in to start the fifth inning and threw two shutout innings while recording a pair of strikeouts.
Senior outfielder RT Cantillo got Ole Miss on the board in the top of the first by scoring on a wild pitch. Ole Miss tacked on one more run in the second inning when Culley hit an RBI double to right field to score Morgan from second base.
After flying out to the warning track in left field in the top of the second, freshman Miranda Strother hit a solo home run in the third inning to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead. It was the third home run of the season for the rookie from Suwanee, Ga.
One inning later, with Morgan on second base and one out away, Culley blasted a two-run home run dead to center field to put the Rebels up 5-0.
Ole Miss then scored two more runs in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and no outs on the board, Morgan hit into a fielder’s choice at second, allowing pinch runner Melina Preciado to score from third base. Two batters later, Culley knocked in her fourth run with a sacrifice fly that scored Strother.
The Rebels tacked on two more unearned runs in the top of the sixth to take a 9-0 lead, which proved to be the final score. With redshirt freshman Alyssa Invergo on third base, senior catcher Marina Parra hit a grounder to the Southeastern pitcher, who was unable to field it, allowing Invergo to score. Morgan then recorded an infield single that scored Preciado – who had stayed in the game as the designated play – from third base.
— Ole Miss Sports Information
