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Ole Miss Softball: Rebels Take MSU 2-1 In 1st Round Of SEC Tourney, Gators Next

By Daniel Skipper

Aug 6, 2016; Irvine, CA, USA; Beverly Bandits players celebrate after defeating the South Dakota Renegades to with the 16U Premier Championship at the Girls Premier Fastpitch Nationals at Bill Barber Community Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 6, 2016; Irvine, CA, USA; Beverly Bandits players celebrate after defeating the South Dakota Renegades to with the 16U Premier Championship at the Girls Premier Fastpitch Nationals at Bill Barber Community Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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No.18 Ole Miss softball showed up in Knoxville ready to play and they did. In fact their efforts gained them a second round match-up with the No.1 Florida Gators. On the arm of Kaitlin Lee and great glove work, the Rebels now face their biggest game of the season.

Any SEC win is a huge win. Add to that the SEC Tourney against your in-state rival and you have the stuff in which history is made. And history was made as Ole Miss softball picked up their second ever tourney win against Mississippi State. Could a tourney run begin any more well scripted? No.

The script has been written by a Ole Miss softball team which has played with its back against the wall all season. They’ve hovered in  and out of the top 20 all year and are a far better team than their record indicates. I’ve believed for some time this team can make a deep run in the tourney. However, they must get thru No.1 Florida softball today.

Of course, being seeded at No.8 and taking the game against MSU, the Rebels were put into the second round game against the No.1 Gators. The luck of the draw could easily equate into murderer’s row, however this Ole Miss softball team is different from others. For now let’s enjoy the win against MSU and look at the numbers.

In The Circle

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Kaitlin Lee (16-10, 1.93) drew the start for the Rebels in the round 1 match-up with MSU. Lee would go 7.0 innings while allowing only 1 earned run on 5 hits. Lee also chalked up 4 Ks in the contest while walking no MSU batters.

Kaitlin Lee has proven to be a strong-arm on the mound for Ole Miss softball this season. According to OleMissSports.com, this was Lee’s 30th start of the season. As usual, Lee was in control in the circle for the entire game.

Lee continues to be dominant in the circle and any success Ole Miss hopes for in the SEC or NCAA tourneys hinge upon her right arm.

At The Plate

In total, six Rebel hitters accounted for the 6 hits MSU pitching gave up on the day. Sarah Van Schaik (.264) led all Rebel batters with her 1 for 2 day at the plate. Schaik also knocked in an RBI. Miranda Strother (.299) also knocked in an RBI while going 1 for 3 on the afternoon.

Four other Rebel batters got in the action against MSU. Elantra Cox (.418) went 1 for 3 in the game and scored her 44th run of the season, per OleMissSports.com. Kylan Becker (.368), Ashton Lampton (.245) and Paige McKinney (.279) would also each go 1 for 3 in the game. Pinch runner Grayce Majam scored the Rebels only other run in the contest.

Ole Miss hitters were gritty at the plate with only three Rebels striking out in the game. Ole Miss will have to continue to attack the ball against a much better opponent in the Gators pitching staff and defensive unit.

Today’s Game

No.18 Ole Miss softball will have their hands full today against the No.1 Florida Gators in the second round of the SEC Softball Tourney at Knoxville. First pitch is set for 1:30pm CT. Of course, the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

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