Ole Miss Softball Knocks Off No. 1 Tennessee, Splits Doubleheader

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Tennessee	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	1
Ole Miss	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1

OXFORD, Miss. The Ole Miss softball team earned the biggest victory in the history of the program and senior Mary Jane Callahan notched a career milestone on Wednesday as the Rebels handed the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers their second loss of the season with a 5-4 win after a 1-0 defeat in the first game of the conference doubleheader at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

With the split, Ole Miss moves to 10-16 overall and 2-3 in SEC play, while Tennessee moves to 25-2 overall and 3-2 in league action.

The nightcap win was the Rebels’ first ever against the nation’s top-ranked team, as Tennessee was the first No. 1 foe in program history. Ole Miss had previously played the No. 2 team on three occasions and had defeated No. 4 UCLA in 2005 for its only victory over a top-five squad.

“Both teams really battled it out in both games,” said Ole Miss head coach Missy Dickerson. “Tennessee had a key hit in the first game to take a one-run lead. We had some hits in our last at-bat that were the key for us in the second game. It was an amazing effort on both sides. We were fortunate enough to battle and bring home the one victory.”

Callahan (7-5) became Ole Miss’ all-time winningest pitcher with her 41st career victory in the 5-4 nightcap win. The team captain from Muenster, Texas, tossed 6 2-3 innings, giving up two runs both unearned on two hits, with six strikeouts.

“MJ and Tara (Willitt) both threw awesome games today,” Dickerson said. “Except for a defensive mistake in the seventh in game two, we put all three components together hitting, pitching and defense and when we did make mistakes they didn’t come back to haunt us.”

Ole Miss became the first team this year to touch up All-American pitcher Monica Abbott (19-1), who entered the day with a 0.06 ERA and 264 strikeouts in 112 innings of work. The Rebels got to her for five runs on seven hits in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Abbott’s previous season highs allowed were one run and three hits.

The Rebels’ seven hits came from seven different batters in the all-around effort. Freshman left fielder Alyssa McGovern collected two RBI, while five different Rebels scored one run apiece. McGovern and freshman third baseman Lauren Grill smashed the first two home runs Abbott has allowed this season.

Ole Miss got it started with a two-run bottom of the first when the Rebels scored the second and third earned runs allowed by Abbott this season. Emily Sarver led off with a single for the second straight game before Lisa Conchos smashed a double off the center-field wall. The next two pitches resulted in Rebel runs. Abbott was called for consecutive illegal pitches, allowing Sarver and Conchos to make it 2-0 Ole Miss.

Conchos’ double was the first extra-base hit surrendered by Abbott this year.

Tennessee loaded the bases with two outs after a Rebel error and two walks in the top of the third, but Callahan struck out Lady Vol cleanup hitter Tiffany Huff to preserve the shutout.

The Rebels used a powerful sixth inning to take a 5-0 lead. Grill led off the frame with a solo home run, her team-leading eighth blast of the year, before McGovern hit a two-run bomb to straightaway center for her first career long ball.

Ole Miss would need all five runs, as Tennessee made an explosive comeback in the top of the seventh. The Lady Vols used three hits, including a bases-loaded, three-RBI triple by Lindsay Schutzler, and took advantage of an infield Rebel error to pull within one off a combination of Callahan and Becky Nye in relief. Callahan returned with two outs and the go-ahead run at the plate and got Tennessee’s Tonya Callahan to line out to a sliding Courtnie Ghinaudo in center field to end the game.

Game One

For the fourth straight game Ole Miss played in a tight pitcher’s duel against a top-10 opponent, but the Rebels fell 1-0 in game one.

In Ole Miss’ first ever game against the nation’s top-ranked opponent, the two squads were locked in a scoreless tie through six innings before Tennessee prevailed. The game marked the sixth time Ole Miss has lost to a ranked opponent this season by two runs or less in 10 total tries.

Junior left-hander Tara Willitt (3-2) took a shutout into the seventh inning, but the Lady Vols broke onto the scoreboard with a run on two hits in the frame to come away with the win. Willitt went the full seven innings and allowed four hits, while striking out five in the effort.

Abbott (19-0) stayed undefeated with a complete-game shutout. She surrendered two Rebel hits and struck out 17 in the victory.

Sarver led off the bottom of the first with an infield bunt single for one of the two Rebel hits on the afternoon. Grill collected the other base hit for Ole Miss.

The Lady Vols notched their first two hits of the game in the top of the fourth with singles by Kenora Posey and Tonya Callahan. With one out and runners on first and second, Willitt induced a groundout to second and struck out the final batter to end the threat.

Tennessee scored the winning run in the seventh on an RBI single by Shannon Doepking. Two Lady Vols had reached base by a walk and an infield single earlier in the frame.

Ole Miss continues SEC play this weekend with a trip to Auburn. The three-game series with the Tigers will begin on Saturday with a 4 p.m. doubleheader, before wrapping up on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest.

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Team Stats

Emily Sarver

Lauren Grill

Conchos L

Mary Jane Callahan

The University of Mississippi Athletics