Softball Rebels unbeaten in Ole Miss Classic over the weekend

Posted on Mar 3 2019 - 9:17pm by Joshua Clayton

Ole Miss Softball returned to Oxford as the Rebels hosted the Ole Miss Classic over the weekend, their first string of home games this season. 

The Rebels were unbeaten in the four games with two wins over both Nicholls and Pittsburgh, pushing their overall record to 13-6 on the season. 

Ole Miss took the first game of the weekend on Friday with a 6-0 victory over Nicholls. Brittany Finney shut the door on the Colonel offense striking out a career-high nine batters and allowing only three hits in her second complete-game shutout of the season. 

 A single down the left field line from Jessica Puk in the first inning brought Kylan Becker and Abbey Latham around to home plate. Puk eventually scored as well off a single from Autumn Gillespie to give the Rebels the early 3-0 lead. 

Tate Whitley scored in the second as Becker reached base on a bunt. Becker came back in the sixth inning and hit a double to bring Kaylee Horton and Ally Mena home in the sixth. 

The second half of the doubleheader on Friday went the same as the first as the Rebels defeated Pittsburgh 6-1. 

Molly Jacobsen allowed only one run and eight hits in her first appearance in the circle for the Rebels this season.  

The Rebels struck first when a triple from Gillespie put her in position to score off an RBI single from Horton. Ole Miss scored three runs in the sixth inning. Horton brought in Gillespie after yet another triple and a single from Sydney Gutierrez allowed Taylor Watford and Tate Whitley to reach home. 

The Panthers were able to score a run in the final inning, but it was too little, too late for the Panthers. 

The Rebels returned to the field for another doubleheader on Saturday, facing Pittsburgh first this time around. 

Ole Miss had more trouble with Pittsburgh in the second matchup, but rallied to come out on top 4-3. The Panthers clobbered two back-to-back home runs off Ava Tillmann to lead off the game, but Finney came in to slow down the burst of offense. 

Becker and Latham scored in the first to tie the game, but the Panthers took the lead back in the fifth.  

The Rebels were down one run in the final inning when Mikayla Allee executed a squeeze play to bring in pinch runner Katelin Cooper for the wall-off win. 

Ole Miss rode that momentum to beat Nicholls 2-0 in the second game of the double header. Molly Jacobsen pitched a complete game shutout allowing just four hits in seven innings. 

Allee and Becker both hit singles and pinch runner Kelsha Loftin beat the tag home after a Puk bunt. The Rebels scored their second run in the fifth with Becker reaching home off of a sacrifice fly from Abbey Latham after stealing second and moving over to third off of a wild pitch. 

Ole Miss set to face Pittsburgh again on Sunday, but the finale was cancelled due to weather. 

The Rebels will have a midweek matchup with Austin Peay on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Oxford before Arkansas comes to town for three games on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.