The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Southern Miss
Ole Miss Takes Two At Southern Miss
3/16/2006 | Softball
March 16, 2006
Box Score
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Ole Miss used more strong pitching to extend a season-long winning streak to four wins with a pair of victories over the Golden Eagles, 5-1 and 3-2, at the Southern Miss Softball Complex on Thursday.
The Rebels (11-17) used the doubleheader sweep over the in-state rival to take over the all-time series lead 7-6, including a 5-3 mark in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss falls to 15-18 on the year.
"We're happy to get two more wins today," said Ole Miss head coach Missy Dickerson. "We were fortunate to pull out the second game by the skin of our teeth. Again, I hope these wins will carry over into the weekend series with Florida."
In game one, a seventh-inning three-run home run by sophomore Lauren Rowe, her team-leading fourth of the season, broke open a one-run Rebel lead to propel Ole Miss to the 5-1 victory.
Senior right-hander Dana Brill (5-5) followed up her 15-strikeout performance two days earlier with a complete game on Thursday, giving up just the one run on three hits, while walking three and fanning seven Lady Eagles.
Each of the first four batters in the Rebel lineup notched a hit in the game for the Rebels' four hits. Three of the four were for extra bases, though, as senior third baseman Rebecca McIntire and freshman shortstop collected doubles, along with Rowe's homer. Rowe added to her team-high RBI total with her 14th, 15th and 16th runs driven in.
A Southern Miss error and a pair of walks loaded the bases for the Rebels in the top of the first inning, but Ole Miss was unable to push a runner across with two outs, leaving three runners stranded.
The Rebels got two more runners on base in the second by a walk and hit batter, then McIntire got the first hit of the game, a big double down the left field line to give Ole Miss an early 2-0 lead. It was the Chatsworth, Calif., native's team-leading sixth double of the season, as she collected her third and fourth RBI of the year.
Southern Miss starter Lacey Gros (9-9) shut down the Rebels for the next four innings, but ran into more trouble in the seventh when Rowe capitalized with runners on base. Gros finished the contest with 6 2/3 innings pitched and gave up five runs on four hits, while walking six and striking out eight.
The Golden Eagles cut the lead to one with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the fourth, including an RBI hit up the middle by Jessica Huerta to make it a 2-1 Rebel advantage.
After the Rebels pulled away in the seventh, the final line score showed the first time this season the squad has scored more runs than they had hits.
Ole Miss moved to 9-2 in games in which the team scored first.
Game 2:
Game two featured another strong pitching performance for the Rebels, this time by the southpaw, Callahan (5-10). The Muenster, Texas, native pitched a complete game and gave up five hits and two runs, both unearned, while striking out eight and walking three.
Sophomore first baseman Erin Faircloth led the Rebels at the plate in game two, going 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. McIntire also had a multi-hit game with two base hits.
The second game began very similar to the first. The Rebels used a hit and a pair of walks to load the bases with one out, but were again unable to capitalize, leaving all three runners stranded.
Ole Miss used a leadoff single by Faircloth, a sacrifice bunt by junior right fielder Vanessa Gibbs and an RBI single by Callahan to manufacture its first run of game two in the top of the second inning.
Gibbs gave the Rebels a three-run lead in the third with a two-run triple, her second three-bagger of the year, that landed at the base of the right field wall and plated Brittany Warner and Faircloth.
Despite three Ole Miss errors in the bottom of the third, Southern Miss could capitalize with just one run on a sacrifice fly to cut the Lady Eagle deficit to two runs at 3-1.
The Golden Eagles made it a 3-2 game in the bottom of the sixth with another unearned run. After catcher Kristin Pilgrim reached on an Ole Miss error, pinch runner Courtney Kelly scored on an RBI single by starting pitcher Krystal Crooks to make it a one-run contest.
Southern Miss threatened one more time. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Eagles got back-to-back double and single, but Callahan struck out the final batter to seal the Rebel victory.
Next up for Ole Miss is the second home SEC series of the season as the Rebels host Florida with 3 and 5 p.m. matchups on Saturday, followed by a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
