The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
7-2
Houston
4-7
Rebel Softball Dominates to Conclude Houston Classic
2/19/2017 | Softball
Game One - Ole Miss 18, Rhode Island 4 (5)
Box Score
Game Two - Ole Miss 12, Houston 3 (5)
Box Score
HOUSTON - A day after scoring a combined 24 runs, the Rebel softball team continued its dominating offensive performance on Sunday in the final day of the Houston Classic, run-ruling Rhode Island, 18-4, and Houston, 12-3, in five innings.
Ole Miss finished the tournament 4-1, dropping its only game to No. 4 Oklahoma 11-8, in the opener Friday night. Overall, the Rebels (7-2) scored 62 runs on the weekend, gave up just 19, and hit .425 as a team with a slugging clip of .694.
In the four victories this weekend, Ole Miss totaled 54 runs and scored in double digits in four-straight games, the first time in school history to score in double figures four games in a row. The four-game output in terms of run total was also the largest, as the Rebels run-ruled four opponents in a row for the first time ever.
In Sunday's games, 13 different players drove in runs, led by four from Becker, and two each from Lampton and Stancil. The Rebels hit .423 on the afternoon with 25 RBI and slugged at a clip of .731 with eight extra-base hits and 30 runs scored.
In the circle, Brittany Finney got the win in game one against the Rams (1-4), while Alyssa Clayton earned the victory against the Cougars (5-7) in game two.
See below for a detailed recap from both wins.
Game One Recap
Ole Miss batted around twice as all but one player who received an at-bat reached base safely. The Rebels combined for 13 hits, took advantage of three Rams' errors and tattooed four Rhode Island pitchers.
Sophomore Brittany Finney got the start in the circle, the first pitching appearance of her Ole Miss career, and went four frames with four strikeouts. The Rams got to her in the fourth with a grand slam, as she finished the afternoon with seven hits allowed and the four runs given up.
After leaving two on in the first, Ole Miss' offense posted a 3-run second inning thanks to an RBI single down the line in left from Stancil, an RBI groundout from Cox, and an RBI single from Becker.
In the third, Ole Miss sent 12 hitters to the plate scoring nine runs. Alyssa Gonzalez led it off with a double to right center, before Alex Schneider pinch ran and eventually scored on a wild pitch. After Strother walked, Finney singled to left for an RBI, before the Rams made their first pitching change of the day, bringing in Becca Rodgers. From there, Courtney Syrett drew a walk and Grayce Majam pinch ran for her, before Kaylee Horton delivered an RBI single to short scoring Finney. Elantra Cox kept the frame going with a single through the left side, and then Becker drove in Majam for a sacrifice fly. After Lampton walked, Schneider reached on an error that scored all three runners, before Miranda Strother drilled one of the Rebels' four home runs on the day to center making it 12-0 in favor of the Rebels.
After the Rams' 4-run fourth, the Rebels responded with six insurance runs in the fifth when Schneider led off with a walk, before Dominique Salinas homered to right field driving in two. Kennedy Legg kept the frame going with a double to right, before two-straight HBPs from Bry Castro and Paige McKinney set up a bases loaded situation for Allison Stark. After she walked for an easy RBI, Becker shot an RBI single to left scoring Castro, and Raven Campos followed with a walk that scored another. Schneider, in her second at-bat of the inning, punched a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Stark, capping the 6-run fifth to close the scoring at 18-4.
Becker and Finney both finished with two hits apiece, while Becker led the team with three RBI. Strother and Salinas both drove in two, and Schneider tied her career high in runs scored with three.
Game Two Recap
In the make-up contest from Friday night, the Rebels wasted no time jumping on the Cougars, posting four runs in the first, two in the second, and six in the third.
Ole Miss took advantage of three Cougar errors in the first inning alone, sending eight hitters to the plate. Cox led it off with a walk, before Becker put down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled. Lampton moved both runners up into scoring position, before Gonzalez ripped a 2-RBI single up the middle making it 2-0. Strother then reached on another infield error, before Syrett roped a 2-RBI double to right-center to increase the lead to 4-0. She eventually reached third on an error on the center fielder, capping what was a 2-hit, 4-run inning.
Stancil got the gears moving in the next chance at the plate with a hard leadoff single up the middle, before Cox moved her over on a sacrifice bunt. After a Becker walk, Lampton punched one of her two home runs on the day to center, increasing the advantage to 6-0.
In the third, Strother reached on a leadoff walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch, allowing Finney to deliver an RBI single up the middle for a 7-0 lead. Horton reached on an error by the pitcher, then Stancil doubled off the wall in left scoring a pair for a 9-0 lead. Cox drove another in off an RBI, infield single, before Lampton roped another blast to right-center increasing the lead to 12-0.
The Cougars went on to breakup Clayton's no-hit bid in the fourth, and they went on to score on an infield groundout, and a 2-RBI single to left that capped the scoring at 12-3.
Lampton led the offense going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs, while Stancil finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run. Cox, Becker and Strother all scored two runs, as the Rebels jumped all over the two Houston pitchers in Presley Bell (2.0 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 3 BB) and Hannah Wolfe (3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB).
Quick Hits
- Ole Miss combined for 30 runs on Sunday, and finished with 62 runs scored in the Houston Classic.
- The Rebels' 18 runs scored against Rhode Island were the most in a single game since April 21, 2015 in an 18-3 win over Alcorn State.
- Sophomore Kylan Becker recorded a career-high three RBI in game one against the Rams, and finished with four on the day.
- Sophomore Brittany Finney made her Ole Miss debut as a pitcher against Rhode Island, earning the win after going four frames in the circle.
- Twenty players saw the field in the first win of the day, as 11 different players collected hits, and 10 finished with at least one RBI.
- For the seventh time this season, the Rebels posted at least six runs in an inning with nine runs in the third in game one, six in the fifth, and six runs again in the third inning of game two.
- Twelve different players tallied a hit in Sunday's action, and 13 recorded at least one RBI.
- Sophomore Ashton Lampton hit two home runs against the Cougars, and finished the weekend 8-of-14 with three home runs, one triple, two doubles, and nine RBI for a slugging clip of 1.500.
- Freshman Dylinn Stancil hit .636 in the five games with eight RBI and one home run.
- In total, the Rebels collected 19 extra-base hits in Houston, and hit eight total home runs, nearly a third of their entire season total from 2016.
- All five Rebel pitchers saw time in the circle at the Houston Classic, allowing 18 earned runs over the five games, eight of which came in the Friday contest with the Sooners.
On Deck
Ole Miss heads to Florida next weekend (Feb. 24-26) for the Stetson Invitational, with games against Colgate, No. 20 South Florida, and Stetson.
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: Clayton, Alyssa (2-0)
L: BELL, Presley (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Syrett, Courtney 1 ; Stancil, Dylinn 1
HR: Lampton, Ashton 2
RBI: Becker, Kylan 1 ; Lampton, Ashton 3 ; Gonzalez, Alyssa 2 ; Finney, Brittany 1 ; Syrett, Courtney 2 ; Stancil, Dylinn 2
SH: Cox, Elantra 1 ; Becker, Kylan 1 ; Lampton, Ashton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cox, Elantra 2 ; Becker, Kylan 2 ; Lampton, Ashton 2 ; Strother, Miranda 2 ; Finney, Brittany 1 ; Syrett, Courtney 1 ; Horton, Kaylee 1 ; Stancil, Dylinn 1
SB: Cox, Elantra 1 ; Strother, Miranda 1
Batting:
RBI: QUEEN, Sarah 1 ; VANNOY, Brooke 2
Base Running:
RUNS: LEBEOUF, Elise 1 ; CRUMPTON, Kaylin 1 ; HEEBNER, Savannah 1
HBP: LEBEOUF, Elise 1 ; CRUMPTON, Kaylin 1
