Ole Miss Softball Cruises by ULM, 7-0

April 18, 2018

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OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss had the offense, defense and pitching running on all cylinders in Wednesday's game against ULM, outhitting the Warhawks 11-1 on the way to a 7-0 shutout victory in Oxford.

Three pitchers saw the circle for the Rebels (23-18), with Kaitlin Lee making the start and earning her 13^th win of the year after surrendering just a single hit in her four frames. Anna Borgen threw two perfect innings on the night and Morgan Bruce closed out the seventh with three quick outs, two via strikeout.

Facing a ULM (23-18) side that entered the game batting .328 as a team, Ole Miss held the Warhawks to a single hit and just a pair of baserunners all game. On the other hand, Ole Miss registered at least one hit in every inning, posting a .643 slugging percentage as a team.

Neither team was able to get much going in the opening frame but in the second the Rebels broke things open in a hurry. Autumn Gillespie led off with a triple down the right field line before Amanda Roth smacked a ball to nearly the same spot for an RBI double. Paige McKinney singled home Roth and moved to third on an error and a steal, scoring later on Bry Castro's sacrifice fly. The final runs came in on a ULM blunder in the outfield as Kaylee Horton's single got by the right fielder and both Elantra Cox and Horton herself were able to score on the play.

The Rebels tacked on a couple more runs in the fourth as Castro doubled in McKinney from second and Horton lifted a fly ball deep enough to left to score Castro on a sacrifice fly from third base, bringing the score to 7-0.

The Rebels had a couple of chances to end the game early via the run-rule but were unable to bring in the elusive eighth run. None the less, with the pitching staff throwing darts, it was just a matter of time before Ole Miss closed out the victory.

Ole Miss will now hit the road for a pair of games at UTEP in El Paso, Texas Friday and Saturday. To view the live stream on C-USA.tv, fans will have to pay a subscription fee of $6.95 for a 24-hour pass.

Quick Hits

- With the win, Ole Miss evened the all-time series against ULM at 5-5.

- Ole Miss' six extra base hits are its most in a game since Feb. 26, 2017, when the Rebels also notched six extra-base hits against USF on three doubles and three home runs.

- The five doubles for Ole Miss are two shy of the program-record of seven, recorded Apr. 8, 2015 at Samford.

- The one hit allowed is a season-best mark for the Rebels. Ole Miss has held its opponent to two base knocks in a game four times in 2018.

- The Warhawks never advanced a base runner past second base.

- Making her first start since 2015, senior Bry Castro went 1-for-2 at the plate with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.

- Sophomore Kaylee Horton went 2-for-2 in the game with a pair of runs batted in as well as a run scored.

- Sophomore Autumn Gillespie was also 2-for-2 at the dish with a triple and a double, good for a 2.500 slugging percentage for the game.

- Senior Paige McKinney put up a 2-for-3 effort, her third straight game with two base knocks. In those games, McKinney is batting .750.

- Senior Elantra Cox extended her reached base streak to 11 games, two off of her team-best mark of 13 games.

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.

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Team Stats

Kaylee Horton

Autumn Gillespie

Paige McKinney

Elantra Cox

Players Mentioned

Anna Borgen

Morgan Bruce

Bry Castro

Elantra Cox

Autumn Gillespie

Kaylee Horton

Kaitlin Lee

Paige McKinney

Amanda Roth

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