Rebels Drop A Pair To Auburn In SEC Opener

AUBURN, Ala. Ole Miss dropped pair of close contests at Auburn on Saturday in the SEC opener for both teams. The Rebels lost 9-8 to the Tigers in a 13-inning heartbreaker in the first game and fell 3-2 in the second game.

The first game of the day between the Rebels (11-8, 0-2 SEC) and the Tigers (19-6, 2-0 SEC) was a four-plus hour extra-inning marathon that featured five lead changes and two ties. Auburn right fielder Taryn Gary’s game-winning single to left in the 13^th inning scored Kynall White and gave Auburn the 9-8 victory.

Trailing 3-2 entering the seventh inning, Ole Miss pinch hitter Molly Goza led off the frame with an infield single and Corrine Doornberg followed with a bunt single to give the Rebels runners on first and second with no outs. Lisa Conchos then hit a sharp grounder that was booted by Tiger shortstop Kyndall White and allowed Goza to score and tie the game at three. Designated player Michelle May then ripped a single up the middle to drive in two runs and give the Rebels a 5-3 lead. Amber Tramp continued the Ole Miss onslaught with a double to center that scored two more runs and gave the Rebels a 7-3 margin.

Auburn came right back to tie the game at seven in the bottom half of the inning after Tiger third baseman Tatiana Fernandez bashed a three-run homer to pull the home team within one run and Kyndall White went back-to-back with a solo shot to send the game into extra innings.

Lauren Grill hit a solo home run off the scoreboard in left to lead off the top of the ninth to steak Ole Miss to an 8-7 lead, but Auburn answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double from catcher Elizabeth Eisterhold to extend the game once again.

Grill finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Doornberg added three singles in five at-bats while May collected two hits and drove in three runs.

Ole Miss and Auburn each loaded the bases in the tenth, but failed to score. The Rebels got a single from Doornberg and a double to left from Conchos with two down and nobody on base. The Tigers then intentionally walked Grill to load the bases, but May grounded out to short to end the inning.

In the bottom of the tenth, Auburn loaded the bases on a pair of singles and an intentional walk with one out, but Rebel pitcher Lindsey Perry got Tiger shortstop Kyndall White to fly out to shallow left and Doornberg gunned Katie Colton out at the plate to send the game to the 11^th.

Lindsey Perry suffered the loss for Ole Miss after pitching the final 6.2 innings. Perry allowed six hits, one earned run and struck out five. Becky Nye started the game for the Rebels and pitched the first 6.0 innings. She allowed five earned runs and struck out five Tigers.

Auburn center fielder Myesha Finney got the Tigers on the scoreboard first with a lead off home run to dead center in the first inning to give Auburn an early 1-0 lead.

Ole Miss answered in the third, as first baseman Aly Presswood led off the Rebel half of the inning with a single off the top of the wall in right. Alise Doubt then pinch ran for Presswood and moved to second with one down in the inning. Corrine Doornberg walked to give the Rebels runners on first and second before a Lisa Conchos grounder was booted by Tiger third baseman Tatiana Fernandez and allowed Doubt to score and tie the game at one. Michelle May then ripped a single to left that scored Doornberg and gave Ole Miss a 2-1 lead.

Auburn came back in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead when Tiger designated player Morgan Murphy hit a bases-loaded pop fly with two outs to center that fell after Courtnie Ghinaudo lost the ball in the sun.

The Rebels and the Tigers will conclude the three-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

Game Two

Auburn scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take game two over Ole Miss 4-3 on Saturday. Tiger third baseman Megan Mitchell singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the seventh.

Ole Miss third baseman Ashley Dowdy gave the Rebels a 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run off the light standard in left center to lead off the top of the inning.

Designated player Michelle May spotted the Rebels an early 1-0 lead with a solo homer to left to start the top of the second.

The homers were Dowdy’s fourth of the season and May’s first.

Auburn answered in the bottom half of the second with a two-run home run from first baseman Amber Harrison that gave the Tigers 2-1 lead.

The Rebels tied the game in the fourth on a Dowdy sac fly that scored Lauren Grill, who had tripled off the wall in right to start the inning.

Dowdy finished the game 1-for-2 at the plate with two RBI, while Grill added a triple and a run scored and May knocked in one run and scored once.

Becky Nye took the complete-game loss for Ole Miss. She allowed eight hit and four runs, all earned, in 6.2 innings of work. She struck out five and walked two.

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Team Stats

Corrine Doornberg

Lauren Grill

Michelle May

Aly Presswood

The University of Mississippi Athletics