The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Mississippi Valley State
Rebels Extend Non-Conference Winning Streak, Defeat Devilettes 5-3
4/19/2006 | Softball
April 19, 2006
Box Score
ITTA BENA, Miss. - Ole Miss scored twice in the top of the eighth inning to take a 5-3 lead and senior right-hander Dana Brill shut down the Devilettes in the bottom of the frame as the Rebel softball team secured its second extra-innings victory over Mississippi Valley State this season in a Wednesday evening contest at the Devilette Softball Field.
With the win, the Rebels extend their non-conference winning streak to eight games, and also secure their sixth win in as many tries against teams from the state of Mississippi.
Brill (8-13) earned the win in relief with four shutout innings, giving up just one hit and fanning seven Devilette batters.
Ole Miss (16-31) took advantage of a pair of Mississippi Valley miscues in the eighth inning. Pinch-runner Jessica Plemons, who was placed on second base by the international tie-breaker rule, moved to third when sophomore first baseman Erin Faircloth reached on an error. On the next pitch, Plemons scored on a passed ball to give the Rebels a 4-3 lead, then senior Mandy Ott hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field scoring Faircloth.
Sophomore second baseman Lauren Rowe had the first three-hit game of her career, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and junior left-handed pitcher Mary Jane Callahan, who started in the circle, had three hits for the first time this season, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Ole Miss scored the initial run of the contest in the top of the first inning when Rowe hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field to plate Callahan, who led off the game with a double.
The Rebels started another rally in the top of the third when freshman shortstop Lisa Conchos reached on an infield error and Rowe singled to left-center to give the Rebels two runners on with two outs, but they were unable to plate a run.
Mississippi Valley State (17-24) tied the game up at 1-1 in the bottom of the third when Crystal Holmes, who had tripled, scored when Callahan made an errant throw to first base on a ground ball.
The Devilettes took their first lead of the game when Natasha McFadden hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 3-1 score.
Ole Miss pulled back to within one in the top of the fifth with Rowe's RBI single through the left side to score senior center fielder and team captain Stacy McCommon from second base. The Rebels stranded two more runners in the inning.
Erin Faircloth led off the top of the sixth with her first career triple, but was stranded at third to preserve the one-run deficit at 3-2.
Conchos extended her team-high hitting streak to nine games with a clutch double down the left field line in the top of the seventh inning to score Callahan from second and tie the game at 3-3. Conchos needs a base hit in her next game to tie the school record of 10 consecutive games with a hit, held by April Caraway (1997) and DeDe Justice (2005).
"I was pleased that our girls did not give in on the road today," said Ole Miss head coach Missy Dickerson. "After getting down 3-1, they kept fighting and managed to pull out a victory. It was good to see them keep fighting."
The Rebels out-hit the Devilettes 10-6 in the contest, and they left nine runners on base.
The two teams went into extra innings back on March 29 when Ott had the game-winning hit to secure a 5-4 Rebel victory in the 10th inning.
Ole Miss now holds a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series with the in-state foe.
The Rebels continue their eight-game road swing this weekend with a trip to Columbia, S.C., to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
