The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Tennessee (W)
Ole Miss Drops Saturday Doubleheader To No. 6 Tennessee
4/15/2006 | Softball
April 15, 2006
Box Score
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Ole Miss Rebel softball team lost a pair of games to sixth-ranked Tennessee on Saturday, 4-0 and 9-3, at Tennessee Field at Tyson Park.
The Rebels drop to 15-30 and 3-16 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Lady Volunteers improve to 40-6 and 11-6 in league action.
Game one featured a pitcher's duel between Ole Miss starter Dana Brill and Tennessee starter Monica Abbott.
Brill (7-12) gave up four runs on eight hits in a complete-game performance, striking out four with no walks, but she was out-dueled by the All-American, Abbott (27-5), who went the distance as well and gave up no runs on one hit, with 11 strikeouts.
Abbott was primed for her 17th career no-hitter with two outs in the seventh inning, but freshman shortstop Lisa Conchos was not ready to let that happen, as she hit a screaming double to the left-center field wall to break up the no-hit bid. On the very next pitch, the Rebels almost broke up the shutout when sophomore second baseman Lauren Rowe knocked a line drive down the right field line that was foul by no more than two or three inches.
Tennessee got its first hit of the game in the bottom of the second inning, a one-out single by Liane Horiuchi, but she was stranded at first base as Brill struck out the next batter before senior center fielder Stacy McCommon made a nice catch against the wall in left-center after a long run.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, the Lady Vols got on the scoreboard first with an RBI bunt single by the SEC's leading hitter, Sarah Fekete, to make it 1-0.
Tennessee made it a 2-0 game in the bottom of the fifth. On a bizarre play, Rowe set up a potential double play by throwing the batter out at first, but the runner going to second was caught in a rundown and never tagged out, as Jennifer Griffin came around to score from second base.
Tonya Callahan led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run. The Lady Vols then took a 4-0 advantage when Horiuchi, who had previously advanced to second on an error, stole third and then scored when freshman catcher Michelle May's throw to third was not covered and went into left field.
Game 2
The Rebels got three runs on seven hits in the second game of the doubleheader, but could not hold the Tennessee offense in check, as the Lady Vols scored nine times on nine hits to earn the victory. McIntire and Mary Jane Callahan led the Rebel attack with two hits apiece, while five total Ole Miss players recorded a hit in the contest.
Monica Abbott (28-5) won her second game of the day, pitching 4 2/3 innings in relief and allowing three hits while striking out two. Megan Rhodes started the contest and gave up three runs on four hits and struck out two in 2 1/3 innings pitched.
Callahan (7-15) struggled in the complete-game performance, giving up nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits, while walking four and striking out six.
The Lady Vols started the scoring early in game two against Callahan. Tennessee's first two batters singled, then Kristi Durant's single to left field was misplayed, allowing two Lady Vols to score. Callahan proceeded to load the bases before recording the first out, but then struck out three in a row to end the threat and strand three.
Ole Miss produced a threat of its own in the top of the second frame. May reached on an infield error and sophomore first baseman Erin Faircloth walked to give the Rebels a pair of base runners, but they could not capitalize with a run.
Tennessee added four more runs in the second to make it a 6-0 game. The Lady Vols took advantage of a pair of Ole Miss errors to plate the four runs.
The Rebels threatened once again in the top of the third with back-to-back-to-back singles by McIntire, Callahan and Conchos to load the bases. Tennessee then brought in Abbott to pitch, and she walked Rowe to bring in the Rebels' first run of the game and the series. Ole Miss scored two more when Callahan was brought home by an illegal pitch and Conchos scored on an RBI single by Faircloth to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Tennessee added its seventh and eighth runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-3. A pair of singles and an RBI groundout helped the Lady Vols to their two runs in the frame.
A leadoff triple by Lindsay Schutzler and an RBI fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth produced another run for the Lady Vols to give them a 9-3 advantage.
The two squads will return to the diamond on Sunday to complete the three-game series with a 1 p.m. contest at Tyson Park.
