The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Softball Rebels Hold Off No. 18 South Carolina, 2-1
4/27/2003 | Softball
April 27, 2003
Box Score
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss senior pitcher Lindsay Price held the South Carolina bats in check, as the Rebels upset the 18th-ranked Gamecocks Sunday, 2-1, in the finale of their three-game softball series.
A righthander from Terry, Miss., Price scattered eight hits with six strikeouts in registering her 10th victory of the season and 23rd of her career. With one out and two runners on in the seventh inning, Price (10-12) turned the game over to fellow senior Leslie Day, who induced a pair of flyouts for her second save of the year.
"It was a great effort by our senior pitchers," said Ole Miss head coach Candi Letts. "Lindsay was outstanding and got the key outs when she needed them. She threw harder as the game got tighter. Lindsay and Leslie stepped it up today."
The opportunistic Rebels (18-32, 7-20 SEC) picked up all the offense they needed in the first inning, using one hit, two walks, a sacrifice fly and a stolen base to manufacture their only two runs. Sandwiched between a pair of free passes, DeDe Justice ripped her fourth baseknock of the weekend as Ole Miss loaded the bases with one out.
Andrea Brahs followed with an RBI-lineout to deep right field to plate Brooke Turner. Justice then stole home on the tail-end of a double steal to supply an early 2-0 edge.
Carolina (36-15, 18-10 SEC) quickly answered in the second inning on a run-scoring single by Kristin Hall. However, it would be the only clutch hit for the Gamecocks, who put a baserunner in scoring position in every inning and totaled 10 runners left on base.
The USC hurlers did their job on the mound. The tandem of Melanie Henkes (16-4) and Aleca Johnson limited the Rebels to two hits with 11 strikeouts combined.
For Ole Miss, Turner belted her ninth double of the year in the fifth inning, and Justice finished 1-for-1 with two intentional walks.
The victory, which snapped a five-game skid, was the Rebels' second over a top-25 foe this year. Ole Miss also upended No. 10 Georgia on April 13.
"Today was a great win for this team," Letts said. "With us out of the SEC Tournament race, we could have just given up, but our players are still out there fighting to get better."
South Carolina secured the series win with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday that officially eliminated the Rebels from SEC Tournament contention. The Gamecocks took the opener, 6-2, despite seventh-inning homers by Justice and Rebecca McIntire. USC also hung on in game two, 1-0, despite a complete-game outing by Day on the Rebel mound.
Ole Miss wraps up the 2003 campaign at home next weekend with a three-game SEC series against Tennessee (39-22, 12-14 SEC). Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. CST, while Sunday's finale is at noon at Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Rebel seniors Price, Day, Phyllis Manley and Julie Baumann will be honored prior to Sunday's game as part of Senior Day ceremonies.
Ole Miss 2, South Carolina 1 (Apr 27, 2003 at Oxford, Miss.)----------------------------------------------------------------------South Carolina..........010 000 0 - 1 8 2 (36-15, 18-10 SEC)Ole Miss................200 000 X - 2 2 0 (18-32, 7-20 SEC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: South Carolina - Henkes; A. Johnson(3). Ole Miss - Price; Day(7).Win-Price(10-12) Save-Day(1) Loss-Henkes(16-4) T-2:12 A-144Game notes: Finale of three-game series ... USC wins series, 2-1.
