The University of Mississippi Athletics
Oxford Regional: Ole Miss 8, Southern Illinois 0
5/19/2017 | Softball, Blog
In the Rebels first game at home in a regional, Ole Miss kicked things off in emphatic fashion. The Rebels used two big innings to run-rule the Salukis in five innings and advance into the winners bracket game against Arizona State to begin the day on Saturday. Kaitlin Lee delivered another gem to shut out Southern Illinois while Kylan Becker led the way at the plate to help Ole Miss coast to an 8-0 regional victory.Â
Key Moment: After a quiet first inning, the Rebel bats came to life and put the game to rest in the second inning. A Miranda Strother walk followed by a Kaylee Horton double set the Rebels up with one out to grab the early lead, and Ole Miss took advantage of the opportunity. Courtney Syrett dropped down a perfect bunt to bring the first run of the game in on the squeeze play, and that opened the flood gates in the inning. Paige McKinney knocked in another run with an RBI single. The Rebels would proceed to load up the bases with two-outs, and Kylan Becker would deliver in a big way. A bases-clearing triple opened the lead up to 5-0, and Ole Miss would never look back. With a pitcher like Kaitlin Lee on the mound, that was plenty of runs.
Player of the Game: Kylan Becker. She came up with runners on base, and she made Southern Illinois pay by breaking the game wide open. The sophomore tallied a bases-clearing triple as well as an inside-the-park home run to drive in a career-high five runs and give Rebel ace Kaitlin Lee plenty of breathing room.Â
Numbers of the Game: When Ole Miss had opportunities to score, the Rebels took advance. In five at-bats with runners in scoring position, Ole Miss came through with a hit four times. On top of that, the Rebels managed a runner on third with fewer than two outs twice. Both times that runner crossed the plate. The offense was extremely efficient with the eight runs on eight hits.Â
On the mound, Lee didn't give the Salukis much of anything. She only allowed four hits in her five innings of shutout work and all of them were singles. Southern Illinois only managed two at-bats with runners in scoring position and came up empty both times.
Quotable: "It's a great day to be a Rebel," Ole Miss head coach Mike Smith said. "Wow, how electric was that crowd tonight? We're excited. It was a great game that Southern Illinois played tonight. They're a very good team. The score didn't indicate how good they are. They're a scrappy team. That's a good pitcher there. They attacked Kaitlin early. They had a really good game plan. They sat on the changeup. We swung the bats pretty well tonight. We're excited about being able to play in the confines of our complex. Hotty Toddy."Â
