Allison Brown (14) hits the ball during softball game against Louisiana Tech March 19. Photo: Thomas Graning, The Daily Mississipppian.
MARTIN, Tenn. – The Ole Miss softball team rallied out of a 2-0 deficit in the sixth inning Tuesday night to tie the game at UT Martin, but lost 3-2 in the seventh inning on a walk-off steal of home plate.
Ole Miss (19-15) outhit the Skyhawks 6-5 in the game. Junior pitcher Lauren Lindsey, starting her second game of the season, pitched a career-high 6.2 innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out three. Freshman left fielder Miranda Strother led Ole Miss at the plate by going 2-3 with one run scored.
UT Martin (14-15-1) opened the game with two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI doubles from pitcher Kenzi Tate and third baseman Stephanie Nidiffer to take a 2-0 lead.
Lindsey and the Rebels put the Skyhawks down in order the next two innings, but faced another threat in the fourth. With a runner on third base and just one out away, UT Martin hit a grounder to junior third baseman Allison Brown. Brown quickly threw home and senior catcher Marina Parra applied the tag beautifully to end the threat.
Ole Miss mounted its rally in the sixth, plating two runs on three hits. With the bases loaded and two outs away, junior right fielder Jamie Morgan showed great patience at the plate and earned the RBI walk, scoring redshirt-freshman second baseman Alyssa Invergo. Senior center fielder RT Cantillo then singled up the middle to score Strother and tie the game.
Then in the bottom of the seventh with two outs on the board, UT Martin second baseman Taylor Manning stole home to win the game. It was the sixth straight game between Ole Miss and UT Martin that has been decided by one run. Ole Miss won the two team’s first meeting this season 3-2 at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Ole Miss will play again Friday when it takes on South Carolina in a Southeastern Conference road series in Columbia, S.C. Friday’s game will begin at 5 p.m. CT, Saturday’s game is at 1 p.m. CT and first pitch for the series finale Sunday is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
— Ole Miss Sports Information
