The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
16-3
Belmont
3-12
Softball Cruises in Day One of Red & Blue Classic
3/4/2016 | Softball
Game One - Ole Miss 4, Penn State 3 (8)
Box Score | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
Game Two - Ole Miss 9, Belmont 5
Box Score | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss softball cruised to two wins in the opening day of the Red & Blue Classic on Friday, taking care of Penn State, 4-3, and topping Belmont, 9-5, at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
It took an extra-inning effort from the Rebels (16-3) in game one to defeat Penn State, but the Ole Miss offense turned up the heat in the nightcap to handle the Bruins.
See below for full recaps from both of Friday's contests.
Game One - Ole Miss 4, Penn State 3 (8)
Game one saw the two sides trade the lead as both offenses posted seven hits in the extra-inning contest.
Ole Miss headed into the sixth inning down 3-2, but it was Dakota Matiko's bunt to third that scored Courtney Syrett, tying it up at 3-3. From there the two teams went scoreless in the seventh, pushing the game to the Rebels' second extra-inning game of the season.
Penn State got its runner to third in its half of the eighth, but a diving stop and flip by Grayce Majam ended the Nittany Lions' chance at scoring.
Ashton Lampton began the home half of the eighth at second for the Rebels, and after Majam pushed her and Dakota Matiko up a base on a bunt, it was Kylan Becker's single up the middle that resulted in a walk-off for the Rebels in game three of the tournament.
Syrett was also responsible for the Rebels' first run of the contest, driving home Paige McKinney to tie it at 1-1. Bry Castro went on to score on a throwing error in the frame, handing the Rebels a 2-1 lead, before Penn State took the lead right back in the fourth setting up the late-game fireworks.
Senior Madi Osias went the distance, tying her career high in innings pitched with eight to earn the win and move to 8-1 on the season. She allowed seven hits and struck out six in the circle to earn her seventh-straight victory for the Rebels.
Syrett finished the game 2-for-2 at the plate with one RBI and a walk, while Hailey Lunderman, Lampton, Matiko, Majam and Becker all added a hit each.
Game Two - Ole Miss 9, Belmont 5
As has been the case most of the season, the Ole Miss pitching staff did its job keeping opposing hitters in check. Sophomore Elisha Jahnke, in her third career start, had a no-hitter going in the fifth inning and ended up moving to 3-0 on the season in the victory.
But, the Rebel offense did its job as well pounding out 10 hits and seven RBI. Nine players in the Ole Miss lineup reached via a hit, and seven were responsible for an RBI each in the contest.
Ole Miss' breakthrough inning came in the fourth, when the Rebels posted six-straight two-out hits to plate five runs in the frame. After Lampton singled back up the middle, Matiko drove her home on an RBI double to left-center field. Sarah Van Schaik followed with a single down the right field line scoring Matiko, before Haley Culley's double into left-center field scored another. Becker kept the inning alive with an RBI single into center, before Elantra Cox drove her home legging out an RBI double into left-center field.
One inning later, the Rebels scored two more off a Belmont throwing error, bringing home Castro and Strother. After the Bruins posted a three-run top half of the sixth, the Rebels got the runs back thanks to an RBI single up the middle from Lunderman, and an RBI groundout from Osias.
Culley finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate, as 18 different Rebels saw the field in the win.
Jahnke finished with just one earned run allowed off two hits in six innings, while Kayla Landwehrmier pitched the final frame for the Rebels.
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: Jahnke, Elisha (3-0)
L: SNODGRESS, Carolyn (0-4)
Batting:
2B: COOK, Baylee 1 ; DELONEY, Chelsey 1 ; DALY, Jordan 1
RBI: COOK, Baylee 2 ; DELONEY, Chelsey 1
SH: COOK, Baylee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: WELLS, Kayla 2 ; SPICER, Jordan 1 ; DALY, Jordan 1 ; LONG, Sami 1
HBP: SPICER, Jordan 1 ; ROUSE, Lexi 1
Batting:
2B: Cox, Elantra 1 ; Matiko, Dakota 1 ; Culley, Haley 1
RBI: Cox, Elantra 1 ; Lunderman, Hailey 1 ; Osias, Madi 1 ; Matiko, Dakota 1 ; Schaik, Sarah 1 ; Culley, Haley 1 ; Becker, Kylan 1
SH: Cox, Elantra 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McKinney, Paige 1 ; Lunderman, Hailey 1 ; Strother, Miranda 1 ; Lampton, Ashton 1 ; Castro, Bry 1 ; Matiko, Dakota 1 ; Schaik, Sarah 1 ; Culley, Haley 1 ; Becker, Kylan 1
SB: McKinney, Paige 1 ; Lunderman, Hailey 1 ; Strother, Miranda 1 ; Castro, Bry 1 ; Culley, Haley 1
