The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
22-5
Central Arkansas
16-9
Smith Earns 800th Career Win, Rebels Top UCA 7-0
3/15/2016 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss softball head coach Mike Smith earned his 800th career win Tuesday as the Rebels cruised to a 7-0 victory over Central Arkansas at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
It was a bittersweet moment for Smith as his family joined him on field postgame, and his players congratulated him with a cold two coolers full of water celebrating his 800th victory in his 18-year career.
The Rebels (22-5) were more than dominant on the night, giving up just five hits and shutting out the Bears (16-9), their eighth shutout of 2016.
Senior pitcher Madi Osias improved her overall record to 12-2 on the year after allowing just four UCA hits, and striking out eight opposing hitters with just two walks allowed.
Sophomore Kayla Landwehrmier closed it out in the final inning, striking out two and allowing just one hit to seal the deal for the Rebels.
Freshman Hailey Lunderman kept her impressive freshman campaign rolling going 3-for-3 at the plate, while Alex Schneider was also a perfect 2-for-2. Kylan Becker, Miranda Strother, Ashton Lampton and Bry Castro all added one RBI each in the victory.
The Rebels struck early, scoring in the first inning for the 10th time this season, thanks to an RBI groundout from Strother that scored Elantra Cox, who was responsible for two runs in the game.
Ole Miss kept it going two frames later when Lampton shot a ground ball to the first that scored Strother, and also allowed Cox to cross home thanks to an errant throw by the first baseman.
The Rebels put together their biggest scoring inning of the night in the fourth when Becker laid down an RBI bunt, before a wild pitch brought home two more runners making it a 6-0 contest.
Ole Miss went on to score the final run of the game in the fifth when Castro's groundout scored Strother, capping the offense for the Rebels.
Next Up
The Rebels cap the 16-game homestand Wednesday when they host ULM at 6:30 p.m. The game is the first nationally-televised broadcast for Ole Miss this season, and will air on SEC Network with Melissa Lee (play-by-play) and Cheri Kempf (analyst) on the call.
For all Ole Miss Softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Osias, Madi (12-1)
L: Landeros, Shivaun (9-6)
Base Running:
CS: Whisenhunt, Briana 1
HBP: Forrest, Sam 1
Batting:
RBI: Strother, Miranda 1 ; Lampton, Ashton 1 ; Castro, Bry 1 ; Becker, Kylan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cox, Elantra 2 ; Strother, Miranda 2 ; Majam, Grayce 1 ; Schneider, Alex 1 ; Becker, Kylan 1
SB: Cox, Elantra 1 ; Lunderman, Hailey 1 ; Strother, Miranda 2 ; Lampton, Ashton 1 ; Majam, Grayce 1 ; Becker, Kylan 1
CS: Lunderman, Hailey 1
