The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
32-24
Long Beach State
43-14
Rebel Softball Pulls Out 1-0 Victory Over LBSU
5/20/2018 | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. - Ole Miss didn't have the offense clicking consistently in Saturday night's elimination but the Rebels did just enough to survive against Long Beach State, outdueling the 49ers 1-0 at Farrington Stadium.
Kaitlin Lee was superb in her third start of the regional, tallying her fourth shutout of the season, scattering eight hits on the night.
With both starting pitchers going back-and-forth with quick, scoreless innings, the 49ers put together a threat in the sixth. Three singles by LBSU loaded the bases with 1 out but Lee was able to start a 1-2-3 double play to retire the side and get out of the jam unscathed.
Where the 49ers missed their chance in the sixth to open scoring, the Rebels did not. Kylan Becker legged out an infield single, moved to second on a wild pitch, was advanced to third on Kaylee Horton's grounder to third and scored on Abbey Latham's double to right-center.
LBSU notched a 2-out single to give the 49ers some hope in the seventh but Lee was able to close the deal, inducing a ground out the Amanda Roth at third to secure the win and a place in the Regional Final for Ole Miss.
The Rebels will play host Arizona State Sunday at 8:30 p.m. CT. Ole Miss will need to defeat the national No. 8 seed twice to advance to Super Regionals.
Quick Hits
- The Rebels have earned a spot in the regional final for a third year in a row.
- Freshman Abbey Latham's RBI double was the Rebels' only hit of the game with runner on base.
- Latham has driven in five of the Rebels' 11 runs during the regional. The freshman is batting .556 in Tempe with a pair of doubles and three home runs.
- With four hits and three walks, Kylan Becker has recorded a .700 on-base percentage during the Tempe Regional.
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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lee, Kaitlin (18-13)
L: Flores, Jessica (11-3)
Base Running:
SB: Fry, Nichole 1
Batting:
2B: Latham, Abbey 1
RBI: Latham, Abbey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Becker, Kylan 1
CS: Castro, Bry 1
