Ole Miss entered the seventh inning trailing 5-1, but batted around and rallied for five runs in the frame to complete the sweep over Arkansas Sunday afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Arkansas (17-32, 1-17) led nearly the entire contest after a third inning grand slam, and took what looked to be a convincing four-run lead to the final frame, but the Rebels (34-15, 9-9 SEC) had other plans.
Kylan Becker was the one who got it started and ended it all, as she led off the seventh with a walk. Sarah Van Schaik then punched her lone hit of the day to left field off a chopper setting up two on with nobody out. After Bry Castro pinch ran at first for her, Grayce Majamreached safely after a roller slipped under the glove of the shortstop that scored Paige McKinney.
Haley Culley then pinch ran for Majam, before Hailey Lunderman grounded out to the pitcher pushing runners to second and third.Miranda Strother plated the second run of the inning when she drove a single to left scoring Culley, before Ashton Lampton also reached safely on a throwing error from the Razorbacks’ shortstop. Courtney Syrett was then hit by a pitch to load the bases and Dakota Matikofollowed with a walk to tie the contest at 5-5. That setup Becker’s second plate appearance of the inning, and she was patient enough drawing the full count walk that scored Lampton to secure the sweep for the Rebels.
(Courtesy: Josh McCoy | Ole Miss Athletics)
Teammates celebrate after Kylan Becker’s walk-off walk to score Ashton Lampton and win the game. The Rebels’ win on Sunday clinched the sweep over Arkansas.
The walk-off win for the Rebels is their eighth of 2016 and just the second in regulation seven innings. Ole Miss tallied just six hits on the day, but worked nine walks off Arkansas’ Grace Moll. After every hitter in Saturday’s lineup reached base safely at least once, all but one reached safely in Sunday’s finale.
Lunderman, Strother, Lampton, Matiko, Van Schaik and Majam tallied the hits for Ole Miss, while Becker led the way with a career-high three walks. Matiko finished with a team-best two RBI, as Strother and Becker were credited with one RBI apiece.
After Ole Miss starter Kayla Landwehrmier went 6.2 innings in the circle with five runs allowed off seven hits, Elisha Jahnke picked up her ninth win of 2016 in just a third of an inning pitched after the Rebels’ last inning comeback.
The series sweep for the Rebels is the first of 2016, and first since last year’s series against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville (March 27-29, 2015). Ole Miss has now won five of its last conference matchups and evened its league record to 9-9 with two weeks left in the regular season.
On Deck
Ole Miss concludes its five-game homestand with a midweek against UAB Wednesday night. The game will start at 6 p.m. and air live on SEC Network with Jenn Hildreth (play-by-play) and Kayla Braud (analyst) on the call.
