The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Florida Atlantic
Ole Miss Drops Final Game At FAU Dunkin' Donuts Classic
2/19/2006 | Softball
Feb. 19, 2006
Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. - A comeback effort fell just short as the Ole Miss Rebel softball team wrapped up its weekend at the FAU Dunkin' Donuts Classic with a 5-3 defeat to the host Florida Atlantic Owls on Sunday morning.
Ole Miss (2-8) had a strong day at the plate with eight hits, including two-hit games from junior left-handed pitcher/hitter Mary Jane Callahan and freshman Michelle May, but the Rebels again struggled to come through with runners on base.
The Rebels left 11 runners on base in the game, as opposed to FAU's two. In the five games over the weekend, Ole Miss left 42 runners on base en route to dropping all five games despite out-hitting each opponent.
Callahan (0-5) took the loss in the circle, as she allowed three earned runs in six innings of work, while striking out seven Owls.
The Rebels got off to a good start in the top of the first inning with a leadoff bunt single by Callahan and a couple of walks to load the bases with two outs, but could not get a run across.
Florida Atlantic (4-6) would get out to a 3-0 lead after their half of the first, as the Owls scored two unearned runs due to a pair of Ole Miss errors in the infield.
Ole Miss scored its first run of the game in the top of the third inning, when junior Jill Bandhauer drove home sophomore Lauren Rowe with a single up the middle, cutting the deficit to two.
The Owls came right back in the bottom of the third to get two scores and extend their lead to four runs, highlighted by an RBI triple by Shauna Corso.
The Rebels kept clawing back into contention, though. In the fifth, senior shortstop Rebecca McIntire and May both hit doubles to pull the Rebels within three. In the sixth, Callahan drove in sophomore Jessica Plemons, who had doubled, to make it a 5-3 game.
The seventh inning saw Ole Miss get runners on first and second base with one out, but a controversial out at first base kept Vanessa Gibbs from reaching and Erin Faircloth struck out swinging to end the comeback effort.
Next up on the schedule for Ole Miss is a trip to Evansville, Ind., to take on the Evansville Purple Aces and Ball State Cardinals in a three-team tournament next Saturday and Sunday.
