The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
Rebels Endure First Home Series Loss of the Year
4/13/2002 | Softball
April 13, 2002
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss softball team suffered its first home series loss of the season Saturday, dropping the first two of the three-game set with No. 15 Alabama, 5-1 and 4-0.
The Rebels (23-18, 5-12 SEC) look to end a season-long five-game losing skid and salvage the finale of the series Sunday at 1 p.m. CST at Ole Miss Softball Complex.
In game one, Ole Miss hung within a run of its first-ranked opponent of the season until Alabama (36-13, 16-4 SEC) broke it open with a three-run fourth inning, keyed by a Jennifer Reach two-run double.
Ashley Courtney and Lacy Prejean drove home runs in the first to swing the Crimson Tide an early 2-0 advantage. The Rebels responded in the second inning, when junior Jessica Hamilton singled to left field to plate DeDe Justice.
However, UA All-American Shelley Laird would limit Ole Miss to only one other hit - an Andrea Brahs single - over six innings for her 20th victory of the campaign. Leslie Day (9-6) surrendered nine hits in the complete-game loss.
Laird would team with Jennifer Wright (8-3) and Erin Wright to quiet the Rebel bats again in the late game. The Crimson trio allowed three hits in the combined shutout.
Megan Kozar, Britte Hardy and Julie Baumann supplied the UM baseknocks, while Lindsey Whatley (7-6) was the tough-luck loser in the complete-game outing. It marked the fifth time in Whatley's six losses that Ole Miss was held scoreless.
Alabama used a wild pitch and a throwing error to register a pair of runs in the first. The Tide tacked on two more in the third highlighted by a Prejean RBI-single.
#15 Alabama 5, Ole Miss 1 (Apr 13, 2002 at Oxford, Miss.) (Game 1)----------------------------------------------------------------------Alabama............. 200 300 0 - 5 9 0 (35-13, 15-4 SEC)Ole Miss............ 010 000 0 - 1 2 0 (23-17, 5-11 SEC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: #15 Alabama - Laird, J. Wright(7). Ole Miss - Day.Win-Laird(20-7) Loss-Day(9-6) T-1:58 Att-212
#15 Alabama 4, Ole Miss 0 (Apr 13, 2002 at Oxford, Miss.) (Game 2)----------------------------------------------------------------------Alabama............. 202 000 0 - 4 7 0 (36-13, 16-4 SEC)Ole Miss............ 000 000 0 - 0 3 3 (23-18, 5-12 SEC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: #15 Alabama - Laird, J. Wright(4), E. Wright(6). Ole Miss - Whatley.Win-J. Wright(8-3) Loss-Whatley(7-6) T-1:50 Att-212
