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Ole Miss Softball: Rebels Drop Series At Bama, Auburn Up Next In Oxford

By Daniel Skipper

BEIJING - AUGUST 21: The shoes worn by players from the United States remain at home plate after the five players left them there following USA's 3-1 loss to Japan during the women's grand final gold medal softball game at the Fengtai Softball Field during Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
BEIJING - AUGUST 21: The shoes worn by players from the United States remain at home plate after the five players left them there following USA's 3-1 loss to Japan during the women's grand final gold medal softball game at the Fengtai Softball Field during Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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After two games Ole Miss softball found itself even in the series on the road against No.15 Alabama and needed the Sunday win to take the series.

After taking the game-2 10-3 win over the No.15 Crimson Tide(22-8, 3-3) Ole Miss softball came into game-3 with obvious momentum. The Rebels (16-12, 2-7) needed the win to not just take the series but also to whittle their way back into the national conversation. Bama wanted to make sure the Rebels didn’t get their first series win at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

The Rebels got on the board first in the top of the 1st to take a 1-0 lead into the 2nd. Ole Miss added another run in the top of the 2nd to push the lead to 2-0. After a scoreless bottom to the 2nd and top of the 3rd the Tide struck with 1 run in the bottom of the 3rd to cut the Rebels lead to 2-1. The Rebels maintained the 2-1 lead thru three and a half scoreless innings then Bama struck in the bottom of the 7th with 2 runs. The second run was a result of a walk-off hit which gave the Tide the 3-2 victory.

Its obvious the end result was not what any of us wanted, however Ole Miss softball proved they can play with the best. It would have been easy for the Rebels to have quit after the game-one loss, but they didn’t. They fought their way back in game-two to even the series and then played their hearts out on Sunday. The Rebels still have plenty left to play for. The SEC is by no means locked down by anybody as of yet and we know this team is better than the record indicates. For now though, we’ll look at game-three by the numbers.

By The Numbers

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Freshman lefty Anna Borgen drew the start for the Rebels and went 3.0 innings in the circle. Borgan allowed just 1 earned run on 5 hits and had 1 K. Borgan began the 4th but coach Mike Smith went to senior right-hander Kaitlin Lee (2-5) two batters into the inning. Lee went 3.1 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 3 hits. Lee had 1 K while giving up 2 BB and 1 HBP.

At the plate only 4 Rebels combined for 6 hits with 2 Rebels having multiple hit games. Sophomore Kaylee Horton extended her hitting streak to 6 games going 2 for 3 at the plate. Junior Kylan Becker also went 2 for 3 in the game against very good Bama pitching. Horton and Becker each scored 1 run.

Freshman Ally Mena went 1 for 3 at the plate with 1 RBI while junior Celeste Wood also went 1 for 3. Red-shirt sophomore Autumn Gillespie had 1 RBI in the game. The Rebels have struggled in games against hot pitching. Of course, they have shown they can hit however their consistency has been the issue for them in clutch games. A few more big hits would have gone a long way towards a game-three win and not put as much pressure on the pitching staff.

Next: Don't Give Up Just Yet!

Up Next

With the midweek game against Central Arkansas cancelled the Rebels had a couple of extra days to rest and focus on the No.10 Auburn Tigers (31-6, 5-4). The Tigers are coming into Oxford off a series sweep of No.19 Kentucky. First pitch in game-one of the three game series is set for Friday at 6pm CT from the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The game will be televised on SEC Network+. Good luck to coach Mike Smith and Ole Miss softball. BEAT THE WEAGLES! Hotty Toddy!

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