Ole Miss Softball defeated the Youngstown State Penguins 9-2 on Wednesday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Elisha Jahnke pitches during the game against Youngstown State Wednesday night. (Photo by: Evan Turner)
The Rebels extended their win streak to 12-straight games. Elisha Jahnke got the win on the mound with four strikeouts and one earned run in four innings.
After allowing one run in the top of the first, Ole Miss responded by putting up five in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-1 lead.
In the fourth, the Rebels put up runs from Elantra Cox, Kylan Becker and Bry Castro to bring the score to 9-2.
After widening the margin to seven runs, the Rebels changed pitchers twice to Krista Jacobs then Kayla Landwehrmier who combined for four strikeouts in three innings.
The Rebel offense combined for seven stolen bases in the game, bringing their season total to 76, only 15 away from breaking the school record of 90 set just a year ago.
“We’re just aggressive. We’re aggressive on the bases. We want to put pressure on the defense,” Ole Miss head softball coach Mike Smith said. “If we can do that, we know that we’re probably going to get thrown out sometimes. We know that we’re probably going to leave early sometimes. I think that’s part of our success now in the 20 wins that we put pressure on defenses, and it gives us an opportunity to put people into scoring positions and win ball games.”
Wednesday’s win also marked Coach Smith’s 50th win as the Ole Miss head coach.
“It’s been unbelievable. It’s a dream job for me,” Smith said. “I work with the best people in the nation. It’s a huge family, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about everybody getting along and everybody supporting each other, and that’s really important for me. That’s what sold me on this job, the family atmosphere. Then, we bring that here into the family we have on the field. Our girls believe in each other and are willing to battle for each other. The 50 wins are really a testament to the time, effort and work of the teams the past two years.”
Coach Mike Smith is also only two wins away from 800 in his career.
The Rebels host the Missouri Tigers for a three game series this weekend in their first SEC series of the year.
– Jonathan Creekmore
