The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
27-22, 6-13
Florida
33-15, 9-10
Softball Falls To No. 14 Florida In Heartbreaker
4/28/2023 | Softball
Rebels Look to Bounce Back Saturday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss softball fell in a heartbreaker, giving No. 14 Florida all it could handle in the series opener, but the Gators rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to pick up a 6-5 victory Friday night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Rebels (27-22, 6-13 SEC) put a runner on base in every inning, giving the Florida pitching staff fits. Ole Miss outhit the Gators 9-6, but in the end, the longball was the difference for Florida.
Florida got on the board quickly with a two-run home run three batters into the game, but Ole Miss quickly silenced the Gator offense. Makenna Kliethermes bounced back to get out of the inning and hang a zero in the second inning.
Trailing early, Ole Miss went to work. Whitley got things started in the third with her second hit of the game and advanced to second on a throwing error. Savana Sikes followed her with an infield single to put runners on the corners. The Rebels then cut the lead in half on a sacrifice fly by Paige Smith to make it a one-run game.
Kliethermes passed the ball off to Brooke Vestal in the third after retiring the first batter. Vestal settled in and would go on to cruise through the next 3.2 innings of work, only allowing one base hit while striking out five batters.
Ole Miss continued to be aggressive on offense, climbing back into the game and taking the lead in the fourth. Lexie Brady was hit by a pitch, and Jalia Lassiter singled through the left side. With a pair of runners on and no outs, Mya Stevenson advanced them both into scoring position. Brooke Barnard delivered in the clutch, tying the game at two with a double in the left-center gap and running Florida's starting pitcher out of the game. But the Rebels weren't done. Lassiter scored the go-ahead run the following batter, taking home on a wild pitch to give Ole Miss a 3-2 lead.
Paige Smith helped Ole Miss add some insurance runs in the fifth inning. She got ahold of the first pitch she saw and sent it over the wall in left for her eighth home run of the season. Keila Kamoku and Brady kept the bats rolling with a pair of base hits. Tenly Grisham came in to pinch run for Kamoku and scored the fifth run of the game.
The Rebels took their 5-2 lead to the bottom of the seventh, looking to shock the Gators. Florida tallied three hits, including a walk-off three-run home run to steal game one of the series.
Ole Miss looks to bounce back and even the series Saturday. First pitch has been moved up to an 11 a.m. CT start and can be streamed on SECN+.
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 @olemisssoftball. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rylee Trlicek (12-3)
L: Vestal, Brooke (5-3)
Batting:
2B: Barnard, Brooke 1
HR: Smith, Paige 1
RBI: Smith, Paige 2 ; Barnard, Brooke 1
SH: Sikes, Savana 1 ; Allee, Mikayla 1 ; Stevenson, Mya 1
SF: Smith, Paige 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Whitley, Tate 1 ; Smith, Paige 1 ; Grisham, Tenly 1 ; Brady, Lexie 1 ; Lassiter, Jalia 1
SB: Sikes, Savana 1
CS: Brady, Lexie 1
HBP: Kamoku, Keila 1 ; Brady, Lexie 1
Batting:
HR: Charla Echols 1 ; Reagan Walsh 1
RBI: Charla Echols 3 ; Reagan Walsh 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Skylar Wallace 1 ; Kendra Falby 2 ; Charla Echols 1 ; Christina Wellen 1 ; Reagan Walsh 1
HBP: Pal Egan 1 ; Sam Roe 1
