April 7, 2013
Auburn, Ala. - The Ole Miss Rebels won an 11-9 slugfest over the Auburn softball team Sunday afternoon to prevent a series sweep by the Tigers.
The game saw the Tigers overcome deficits of four and two runs while Ole Miss overcame a deficit of three runs before claiming the win. The teams combined to score nine runs with two outs, five for Auburn and four for Ole Miss.
Auburn dropped to 25-15 overall and 6-9 in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss improved to 20-23 overall and 2-13 in the SEC. Auburn returns to action Tuesday at 6 p.m. when it hosts Southern Miss at Jane B. Moore Field.
"I was encouraged by the fight I saw in some of our players today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Unfortunately we didn't pitch well enough to win. This was one of those games where no lead was safe but they found a way to get the outs when it counted. Hopefully we will grow from this. We have to get ourselves collected and get ready for a tough week."
Lexi Davis took the loss in relief to fall to 7-6. Davis allowed seven runs, five earned, on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts in four and one-third innings. Marcy Harper started and allowed four runs, all earned, on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts in two and one-third innings.
Carly Hummel earned the win in relief to improve to 9-13. Hummel was the fourth Ole Miss pitcher and went two innings allowing just one hit with two walks and no strikeouts.
The Rebels broke through in the top of the third inning. Brittany Broome singled with one out and then stole second base. Allison Brown followed with a single to right that plated Broome for a 1-0 lead. Erinn Jayjohn followed with a hard single through the left side to put runners at second and first. Madi Osias then made it a 4-0 game with a three-run homer over the wall in right. It was Osias' second home run of the season. The homer chased Harper and brought Davis in to pitch for Auburn.
The Tigers responded in the bottom of the third. Kristyn Richards reached on an error and took third on a two-out single by Emily Carosone. Carosone took second on the relay throw. Brooke Lathan took four pitches out of the strike zone to load the bases. McKenzie Kilpatrick then laced a 2-2 pitch back up the middle, scoring Richards and Carosone to cut the deficit to 4-2. Caitlin Jordan was hit by a pitch to load the bases again.
Stephens was then plunked by a pitch to force home Lathan and cut the deficit to 4-3. A wild pitch to Davis went to the backstop and allowed Kilpatrick to score ahead of the tag to tie the game 4-4.
Ole Miss quickly regained the lead on a two-out, two-run home run from Brown in the top of the fourth. It was Brown's fourth home run of the season and it came with RT Cantillo (walk) aboard to give Ole Miss a 6-4 edge.
Consecutive singles by Morgan Estell, Tiffany Howard and Carosone loaded the bases with no outs for the Tigers in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Kilpatrick laced a single off the wall in left that scored Estell and Howard to tie the game 6-6.
The Tigers took their first lead of the day in the bottom of the fifth when Estell launched a two-run home run over the wall in right. It came on a 3-1 pitch and was Estell's second home run of the season. Richards, who singled to lead off, scored on the homer to make it an 8-6 game. With two outs, Lathan gave the Tigers a 9-6 lead with a solo home run to center. It was Lathan's fourth home run of the season.
Ole Miss rallied, however. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of sixth, Jayjohn swung and missed for strike three but Kilpatrick allowed the ball to go to the backstop. Jayjohn beat the throw to first, while Marina Parra (single) and Broome (single) scored on the play. The next batter, Osias singled through the left side to load the bases. Haley Culley followed with a single to left that plated Brown (walk) to tie the game at 9-9.
In the top of the seventh, Brown laced a 2-2 pitch into right field to score Natalie Martinez (walk) and Cantillo (error) to give the Rebels an 11-9 lead. Brown's single came with two outs in the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hummel got Estell to fly out to left for the first out of the inning. Howard took a 1-2 pitch back up the middle for a single to bring the tying run to the plate. Carosone followed with a fly ball out to left for the second out. Hummel was able to end the game when Lathan fouled out to Osias down the first base line.