The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
17-2
UT Martin
15-3
No. 23 Rebels Top UT Martin to Cap Undefeated Weekend
3/5/2017 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. - No. 23 Ole Miss softball completed its undefeated weekend at the Red & Blue Classic, defeating UT Martin, 10-7, Sunday afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
The Rebels (17-2) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead over the Skyhawks (15-3), before a late surge by the UT Martin offense tied it up late in the sixth. However, Ole Miss responded with a 3-run sixth to seal the victory and complete the 4-0 weekend.
Alyssa Clayton earned the start in the circle and worked 4.1 innings with three earned runs allowed off four hits and four walks. Morgan Bruce pitched two thirds of an inning late and surrendered a solo home run, before Kaitlin Lee entered to close it out and ultimately earned the win improving to 5-2.
At the plate, Elantra Cox again dominated opposing pitching, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Kylan Becker was 2-for-3 with two runs, while Alyssa Gonzalez and Courtney Syrett also finished 2-for-4.
Sending eight hitters to the plate in the first, the Rebels plated four early runs. Cox and Becker both reached on singles to begin the rally, before Ashton Lampton's groundout to short moved both runners over. After Miranda Strother walked, Brittany Finney ripped a 2-RBI single to left field putting Ole Miss in front 2-0. On the play, she moved all the way to third after a throw in from the outfield deflected off at the bag, scoring another runner to make it 3-0.
After the defensive mistake, Syrett reached on an infield single scoring Finney, increasing the advantage to 4-0 after one.
In her second at-bat in as many innings, Cox made it 2-for-2 after a single to left, before Becker was hit by a pitch. From there, Gonzalez found a gap in right-center field pushing the lead to 6-0, scoring both Becker and Cox.
But, the Skyhawks responded, plating three in the third off two mistakes defensively. After a leadoff walk and single to right field, UT Martin put down a bunt and Dakota Matiko's throw went wide scoring a run to make it a 6-1 game. Lauren Myers then punched a 2-RBI double down the line in left, before Clayton stranded two runners in scoring position to escape with a 6-3 lead.
The Rebels got a run back in their half of the fourth when Syrett doubled to left-center field with one out, before Matiko drew a walk and Cox drove in Schneider, who pinch ran, off a single up the middle. The Skyhawks put a runner on in the fourth after an infield single, but a 5-4-3 double play around the horn ended any threat, keeping the score at 7-3.
From there, UT Martin began its comeback, as they got one run off a wild pitch, and another off a single chasing Clayton in the circle. They finished the inning with the pair of runs, cutting the Ole Miss lead to 7-5 after five.
A leadoff home run in the sixth made it 7-6, before the Skyhawks evened it up off a successful double steal.
But, the Rebels fought back, sending seven batters to the dish to mount the rally. Becker reached to lead off on a single just in front of the catcher, but was cut down at second on a fielders' choice. After Gonzalez reached on a single to the shortstop, Strother drove in Paige McKinney, who pinch ran, regaining the lead, 8-7. With Strother at second and Gonzalez at third after the throw in, Sarah Van Schaik stepped in to pinch hit, and drove in two for a 2-RBI pinch-hit single, capping the 3-run sixth and completing the scoring for the contest.
Quick Hits
- Ole Miss extended its program-best win streak to 14 games.
- Junior Elantra Cox, who went 3-for-4 on Sunday, finished the week (five games) 15-for-20 (.750) with six runs, a triple, four RBI, and four steals. Cox also extends her hitting streak to 12 games, one off tying the school record.
- With the no decision outing in Sunday's victory, junior LHP Alyssa Clayton kept her 6-0 record intact.
- With the 13 hits in the win, Ole Miss tallied its ninth game this season with double-digit hits.
- Of all the Rebels that took an at-bat, all but two reached safely at least once.
On Deck
The Rebels host the Ole Miss Classic next weekend, March 9-12, at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The Rebels will welcome Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Jackson State to town.
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: Lee, Kaitlin (5-2)
L: LAYNE (2-1)
Batting:
2B: MYERS 1
3B: GONZALES 1
HR: McBRIDE 1
RBI: MYERS 2 ; FULCHER 1 ; McBRIDE 1
SH: MECKL 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GONZALES 2 ; MYERS 1 ; WILLIAMS 1 ; McBRIDE 1 ; ZIZZI 1 ; DODSON 1
SB: GONZALES 2 ; WILLIAMS 1
HBP: WILLIAMS 1
PO: GONZALES 1
Batting:
2B: Gonzalez, Alyssa 1 ; Syrett, Courtney 1
RBI: Cox, Elantra 1 ; Gonzalez, Alyssa 2 ; Strother, Miranda 1 ; Finney, Brittany 2 ; Sarah Van Schaik 2 ; Syrett, Courtney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cox, Elantra 2 ; Becker, Kylan 2 ; McKinney, Paige 1 ; Grayce Majam 1 ; Strother, Miranda 2 ; Finney, Brittany 1 ; Schneider, Alex 1
HBP: Becker, Kylan 1
