Softball Shuts Out Southern Miss 8-0 In Five Innings

OXFORD, Miss. The entire Rebel pitching staff combined for a two-hit shutout and the Rebels scored eight efficient runs on five hits as Ole Miss (8-13) dominated in-state rival Southern Miss (6-13) for an 8-0 run-rule win in the final game of the Red and Blue Classic at the Ole Miss Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon.

“I was pleased with the way we played today,” said Ole Miss head coach Missy Dickerson, who led the Rebels to a 4-1 record in the tournament. “We got some hits in key situations which is something we’ve been struggling with. I was really pleased with our effort out there.”

Senior Mary Jane Callahan (5-4) earned the win in the circle with three shutout innings allowing just one hit and striking out six. Freshman Becky Nye and junior Tara Willitt each tossed a scoreless frame and notched one strikeout apiece.

Junior Lauren Rowe led the Rebels at the plate as she was 2-for-2 with a double and home run and tied the school record with five RBI in the contest.

Ole Miss played a near flawless game as no Rebel batters struck out and the defense played errorless ball in the field.

“I teach the girls discipline and patience,” Dickerson added. “Having no strikeouts was a testament to their discipline and patience at the plate.”

Ole Miss scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 2-0 lead. Emily Sarver walked to lead off the Rebel offensive attack. Lisa Conchos sacrificed her to second before Lauren Grill brought her home with a triple into the right-field corner, as she extended her school-record hitting streak to 12 games. Callahan hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Grill.

The Rebels took a commanding 5-0 lead in the second when Rowe stroked a three-run blast to straightaway center, scoring Alyssa McGovern and Alise Doubt. The home run was Rowe’s fourth of the season. It was the Rebels’ eighth of the weekend and 18^th in the first 21 games of the year.

Ole Miss continued the hot bats in the third with three more runs to make it an 8-0 Rebel lead. Amber Tramp drilled a double to the left-center gap to score Ashley Dowdy before Rowe knocked in two more with a bases-loaded double that hit halfway up the left-centerfield fence.

Nye and Willitt shut down the Golden Eagles in the final two innings to secure the Rebel win over the in-state rival. The Rebels now own an 8-6 advantage in the all-time series. The win marked Ole Miss’ second shutout of the season and second run-rule victory of the year.

Ole Miss returns to action on Saturday with the start of Southeastern Conference play. The Rebels will host nationally ranked LSU with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a third contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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Team Stats

Lauren Rowe

Lauren Grill

Amber Tramp

Vanessa Gibbs

The University of Mississippi Athletics