The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
Ole Miss Loses Softball Slugfest At No. 18 Alabama
4/6/2003 | Softball
April 6, 2003
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Ole Miss picked up home runs by Andrea Brahs and Brooke Turner but could not fend off an Alabama barrage, as the 18th-ranked Crimson Tide earned a 9-4 Sunday win and a sweep of the weekend softball series.
For the fifth time in its current six-game skid, the Rebels (14-24, 3-12 SEC) jumped on top early. Britte Hardy, batting leadoff for only the second time this season, opened the game with a single to left field. Three batters later, DeDe Justice drew a walk, and Brahs followed with a two-out homer to deep left for her third round-tripper of the year and an early 3-0 Rebel advantage.
The Tide (32-13, 15-3 SEC), who claimed the series Saturday with a pair of 5-1 victories, chipped away at the Ole Miss lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning, off a Jackie McClain RBI-double, and moved on top with a four spot in the second. A solo homer by Dominique Accetturo and a three-run blast by McClain provided Alabama a 5-3 edge after two frames.
Turner, the Rebel centerfielder, narrowed the deficit to one in the third inning with her second homer of the series and fourth of the year, but Alabama would tack on three more for insurance in the fourth, 8-4, after run-scoring hits by Staci Ramsey, McClain and Lacy Prejean.
McClain batted 3-for-4 with five RBI in the finale, and the two-time All-America collected five extra-base hits including two home runs for the series.
Erin Wright (15-5) worked all seven innings on the UA mound, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits.
Ole Miss starter Leslie Day (5-6) lasted two innings in defeat, allowing five runs on five hits. Lindsay Price tossed two innings of relief, and Dana Brill hurled the final two.
Brahs led the Rebels with a 2-for-3 tally on Sunday, and the sophomore first baseman totaled four hits on the weekend. Hardy batted 2-for-4 in the finale.
Having concluded a 2-6 road swing, the Red and Blue now returns to Oxford for conference series against the Bulldogs from Mississippi State and Georgia over the next week. The Rebels match up with rival MSU Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. CST each day at Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Alabama 9, Ole Miss 4 (Apr 06, 2003 at Tuscaloosa, Ala.)----------------------------------------------------------------------Ole Miss........
301 000 0 - 4 7 0 (14-24, 3-12 SEC)Alabama........ 140 310 X - 9 13 0 (32-13, 15-3 SEC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: Ole Miss - Day; Price(3); Brill(5). Alabama - E. Wright.Win-E. Wright(15-5) Loss-Day(5-6) T-2:31 A-642HR: UM - Turner (4); Brahs (3); UA - McClain (6); Accetturo (2).
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)