The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, May 22
Tucson, Ariz.
4 PM CT
Ole Miss
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Softball Advances to Tucson Regional Final
5/23/2021 | Softball
Box Score 1Box Score 2<i class="icon-paper"></i> Game One Box Score (PDF)<i class="icon-paper"></i> Game Two Box Score (PDF)
Rebels Fall to Host Arizona but Keep Season Alive with Win Over Villanova
TUCSON, Ariz. – After falling in the afternoon to Arizona(38-13), 12-6, Ole Miss (36-21) kept its season alive at the NCAA Tucson Regional on Saturday, defeating Villanova (37-15) 6-2 to advance to Sunday's regional final at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium.
Game One | Arizona 12, Ole Miss 6
Ole Miss battled back out of a big hole but couldn't complete the comeback in the early game against No. 9 Arizona, ultimately falling 12-6.
Savannah Diederich wore the loss in the circle for Ole Miss, allowing eight runs (three earned) in her two innings. Ava Tillmann provided 3.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs on six hits, while freshman Landyn Bruce surrendered one run and collected one out out of the bullpen.
It was all Arizona early as the Wildcats took a commanding 8-0 lead through two innings behind a three-run home run by Dejah Mulipola and a grand slam by Sharlize Palacios. However, the Rebels were far from out of things.
Abbey Latham got the momentum flipped for the Rebels in the third inning, turning on a pitch and sending it well over the left field wall for a two-run home run, getting Ole Miss on the board.
The next inning, Nyomi Jones and Mikayla Allee got a one-out rally started with back-to-back singles, with Jones coming around to score on a bunt from Tate Whitley where the throw down to first was wild. That brought red-hot Autumn Gillespie to the plate and the Rebel backstop didn't miss her pitch, crushing a three-run home run to make it a two-run game after four.
Ole Miss brought the lead run to the plate in the sixth but couldn't come through with the crucial hit and Arizona added four runs in the bottom half to thwart the Rebels' comeback attempt and move on to Sunday's regional final.
Game Two | Ole Miss 6, Villanova 2
Ole Miss jumped all over Villanova in the first and rode the momentum to a comfortable win, setting down the Wildcats for the second time in as many days.
Anna Borgen made the start and pitched three quality scoreless innings, receiving a no decision after not reaching the necessary innings to qualify for the win. Savannah Diederich allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in a pair of innings of relief, while Tillmann received the win with a pair of scoreless, hitless innings.
The Rebels wasted no time in getting started, with the first six batters of the game reaching base. Paige Smith got the scoring going with a two-run single through the left side, followed by a Sydney Gutierrez single to nearly the same spot to bring home another run. Allee closed out the inning, scoring Smith with a fielder's choice to make it 4-0 as the Rebels batted around in the opening frame.
The Wildcats threatened in the second, loading the bases on a pair of singles and an error. However, Borgen got out of the jam, inducing a groundout to Allee at short to retire the side.
After Latham added a fifth Rebel run in the fourth with a single up the middle to score Blaise Biringer, Villanova pulled one back in the bottom half of the inning on a leadoff home run. However, Ole Miss answered right back with a Kacey Hvitved pinch hit rocket over the fence in left, regaining the five-run advantage.
From there, Tillmann took care of the rest, shutting down the Wildcats to send the Rebels into the regional final.
Quick Hits
• Ole Miss has advanced to the regional final in all five NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. The Rebels have previously advanced to Super Regionals in two of the previous four appearances.
• Autumn Gillespie finished the day 4-for-6 with a walk. The senior has reached base in all but three plate appearances during the regional.
• Abbey Latham collected five hits in six at-bats on Saturday, bringing her total for the weekend to six.
• Each posting three RBIs on the day, Latham and Gillespie moved into fifth and seventh all-time in career runs driven in at Ole Miss, respectively.
• Arizona native Blaise Biringer has registered a pair of hits in all three games in Tucson.
Up Next
Ole Miss advances to Sunday's regional final in a rematch with Arizona. The Rebels will need two wins over the Wildcats to advance to Super Regionals, with game one scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. The TV designation for the game is TBD.
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. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Game One | Arizona 12, Ole Miss 6
Ole Miss battled back out of a big hole but couldn't complete the comeback in the early game against No. 9 Arizona, ultimately falling 12-6.
Savannah Diederich wore the loss in the circle for Ole Miss, allowing eight runs (three earned) in her two innings. Ava Tillmann provided 3.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs on six hits, while freshman Landyn Bruce surrendered one run and collected one out out of the bullpen.
It was all Arizona early as the Wildcats took a commanding 8-0 lead through two innings behind a three-run home run by Dejah Mulipola and a grand slam by Sharlize Palacios. However, the Rebels were far from out of things.
Abbey Latham got the momentum flipped for the Rebels in the third inning, turning on a pitch and sending it well over the left field wall for a two-run home run, getting Ole Miss on the board.
The next inning, Nyomi Jones and Mikayla Allee got a one-out rally started with back-to-back singles, with Jones coming around to score on a bunt from Tate Whitley where the throw down to first was wild. That brought red-hot Autumn Gillespie to the plate and the Rebel backstop didn't miss her pitch, crushing a three-run home run to make it a two-run game after four.
Ole Miss brought the lead run to the plate in the sixth but couldn't come through with the crucial hit and Arizona added four runs in the bottom half to thwart the Rebels' comeback attempt and move on to Sunday's regional final.
Game Two | Ole Miss 6, Villanova 2
Ole Miss jumped all over Villanova in the first and rode the momentum to a comfortable win, setting down the Wildcats for the second time in as many days.
Anna Borgen made the start and pitched three quality scoreless innings, receiving a no decision after not reaching the necessary innings to qualify for the win. Savannah Diederich allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in a pair of innings of relief, while Tillmann received the win with a pair of scoreless, hitless innings.
The Rebels wasted no time in getting started, with the first six batters of the game reaching base. Paige Smith got the scoring going with a two-run single through the left side, followed by a Sydney Gutierrez single to nearly the same spot to bring home another run. Allee closed out the inning, scoring Smith with a fielder's choice to make it 4-0 as the Rebels batted around in the opening frame.
The Wildcats threatened in the second, loading the bases on a pair of singles and an error. However, Borgen got out of the jam, inducing a groundout to Allee at short to retire the side.
After Latham added a fifth Rebel run in the fourth with a single up the middle to score Blaise Biringer, Villanova pulled one back in the bottom half of the inning on a leadoff home run. However, Ole Miss answered right back with a Kacey Hvitved pinch hit rocket over the fence in left, regaining the five-run advantage.
From there, Tillmann took care of the rest, shutting down the Wildcats to send the Rebels into the regional final.
Quick Hits
• Ole Miss has advanced to the regional final in all five NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. The Rebels have previously advanced to Super Regionals in two of the previous four appearances.
• Autumn Gillespie finished the day 4-for-6 with a walk. The senior has reached base in all but three plate appearances during the regional.
• Abbey Latham collected five hits in six at-bats on Saturday, bringing her total for the weekend to six.
• Each posting three RBIs on the day, Latham and Gillespie moved into fifth and seventh all-time in career runs driven in at Ole Miss, respectively.
• Arizona native Blaise Biringer has registered a pair of hits in all three games in Tucson.
Up Next
Ole Miss advances to Sunday's regional final in a rematch with Arizona. The Rebels will need two wins over the Wildcats to advance to Super Regionals, with game one scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. The TV designation for the game is TBD.
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. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lopez, Mariah (8-2)
L: Diederich, Savannah (12-9)
S: Bowen, Hanah (2)
Batting:
2B: Biringer, Blaise 1
HR: Gillespie, Autumn 1 ; Latham, Abbey 1
RBI: Gillespie, Autumn 3 ; Latham, Abbey 2
SH: Jones, Nyomi 1 ; Whitley, Tate 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gillespie, Autumn 2 ; Latham, Abbey 1 ; Jones, Nyomi 1 ; Allee, Mikayla 1 ; Whitley, Tate 1
Batting:
2B: Harper, Jessie 1 ; Palomino, Alyssa 1
HR: Mulipola, Dejah 2 ; Palacios, Sharlize 1
RBI: Harper, Jessie 1 ; Mulipola, Dejah 5 ; Palacios, Sharlize 4 ; Palomino, Alyssa 1
SF: Harper, Jessie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Meono, Janelle 2 ; Carranco, Reyna 2 ; Harper, Jessie 1 ; Mulipola, Dejah 3 ; Palacios, Sharlize 1 ; Dayton, Isabella 1 ; Martinez, Hannah 2
Game Leaders
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Players Mentioned
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UT
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