Russ EddinsAfter opening the season with a loss to Brigham Young University, Ole Miss Softball has since hit the ground running, rattling off nine straight victories to bring their overall record to 9-1. The bulk of their wins came in this weekend’s action-packed tournament at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, from Friday, Feb. 16 to Sunday, Feb. 18. The Rebels faced off against the University of Pittsburgh twice, Kennesaw State twice and East Tennessee State University once.
Game One: University of Pittsburgh
The Rebels dominated their first game of the tournament, which was obvious by the 11-0 final score through five innings. Ole Miss totaled 13 hits to the Panthers’ one, which only further illustrated UM’s dominance over the weekend.
Infielder Paige Smith got the scoring started in the third inning with a two-run double. Ole Miss then extended its lead on a wild pitch with a single from utility player Jalia Lassiter, a single from infielder Delaney Rummell and a hit-by-pitch in the fourth inning.Â
The Rebels piled it on in the fifth inning with two more singles and doubles to bring the score to a devastating 11-0.Â
Lassiter and utility player Jaden Pone went 2-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Lassiter and outfielder Taylor Malvin also stole one base. On defense, right-handed pitcher Grace Sparks pitched all five innings for the Rebels, and she only allowed one hit and struck out four batters.Â
Game Two: Kennesaw State University
The second game of Friday’s doubleheader resulted in a 3-1 Rebel victory against Kennesaw State University.Â
Utility player Lexi Brady got the scoring started with a two-run homer in the first inning. KSU got within one on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, but the Rebels re-established their two-run lead in the next inning due to a Kennesaw error.Â
In this game, pitcher Makenna Kliethermes improved to 3-0 with a complete game, two-hit, nine-strikeout performance.
Game Three: East Tennessee State University
In the first game on Saturday, the Rebels went down 1-0 in the first inning due to an error by third baseman Rummell; ETSU extended its lead to 3-0 with a two-run homer in the third inning.Â
Pone got the Rebels within two off a double that scored infielder Ryan Starr. The Rebels tied it up in the fifth inning from a Smith two-run single.Â
The Lady Rebels found themselves in an unfamiliar situation, as they were down by two going into the bottom of the fifth against East Tennessee State University; despite this slight adversity, Ole Miss scored four runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead.Â
Pone continued to dominate the weekend at the plate; she went 2-3 with a double and a run scored.Â
The strong team play from Ole Miss allowed them to rally against some early pressure from ETSU and secure their third win of the weekend with just two more games to go.
Game Four: Kennesaw State University
The Rebels put up 14 runs against KSU in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. This game only went six innings, which marked the second game of the tournament that did not go the full innings. The final score of this game was 14-5.Â
Rummell singled to get the scoring started in the first inning, and utility player Aynslie Furbush doubled to drive in two runs. To answer, KSU got one back in the bottom half and tied it with a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Rummell reclaimed the lead for Ole Miss with a two-run single the next inning. Furbush and infielder Angelina DeLeon both drove in runs on singles to make it a 7-3 game. After utility player Ma’Nia Womack grounded out to drive in a run, Lassiter hit an inside-the-park three-run home run.Â
KSU then responded and scored two in the bottom of the fifth inning on a double and an error. Very quickly, though, Ole Miss got those runs back in the top of the sixth inning.Â
Pone, Furbush and Rummell combined for 10-15 hitting with four runs scored and six runs driven in.
It was not until the eighth inning that Ole Miss really blew the lid off of this game.
Sparks pitched 4.2 innings, allowed nine hits, gave up five earned runs and had seven strikeouts to spearhead an impressive 14-5 victory for the Rebels.
Game Five: University of Pittsburgh
Ole Miss finished off the weekend by taking down Pittsburgh for the second time on Sunday. It was a low-scoring game, unlike the first matchup. Ole Miss scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to win it 2-1.Â
Brady provided a rare boost of offense in this one, as she tripled to score Malvin and Furbush singled to drive Brady in. Despite the very defensive oriented game, the Rebels out-hit Pittsburgh 5-4, which ultimately gave Ole Miss the edge in game five.
Kliethermes pitched a complete game, surrendering one run (unearned) while walking one batter and serving eight strikeouts.
Five Rebs collected hits: Pone, Brady, Rummell, Furbush and Mackay.
The Next Challenge: The Clemson Classic
Ole Miss sets its sights on the Clemson Classic this upcoming weekend where they will face off against the University of Connecticut, Clemson University twice and Miami University. As the name suggests, Clemson will host this tournament in South Carolina. The tournament starts on Friday, Feb. 23 and wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 25.
