Reb Bats Come Alive in 8-2 Win Over Texas

Ole Miss (4-1) started hot and scored often Thursday night against Texas (3-3), plating runs in six of the seven innings on the way to an 8-2 victory in the opening game of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge at Nancy Almaraz Stadium.
Kaitlin Lee earned the win in the circle, tossing the first four frames and holding the Longhorns to just four hits and no runs. Morgan Bruce came on in relief for a quality appearance, surrendering a run on one lone hit. Senior Elisha Jahnke made her season debut for the seventh, allowing a run on two hits in her inning of work.
Working out of a slump to kick off the season, Kylan Becker came alive with a 2-for-2 showing, walking twice, scoring two runs and driving one in from the top of the order. Freshman Ally Mena went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a double, while Autumn Gillespie went 3-for-4 at the dish with two doubles and a pair of runs scored.
Ole Miss didn’t take long to open scoring, taking a lead right off the bat in the first. Becker got things started with a sharp single up the middle, with Dylinn Stancil and Celeste Wood each drawing walks to load the bases with no outs. Brittany Finney watched ball four two batters later to walk in a run but UT starter Erica Wright would strike out the next two swinging to limit the damage.
Following a quick home half of the first, Ole Miss went right back to work in the second, using some small ball to add to its lead. Paige McKinney legged out an infield single to lead off, stole second and moved to third on an Amanda Roth sacrifice bunt. Becker made the move pay off, sending a single to left to pull the Rebels ahead 2-0 after two.
The Rebs kept the bats hot in the third, opening things up a bit with three runs to go up 5-0. For the third straight inning the Rebels got the leadoff batter on with a Wood walk. After Wood moved up a base on a wild pitch, Alex Schneider missed a two-run bomb by about two feet, having to settle for an RBI double instead and chasing Wright in the process.
Gillespie kept things going with a two-out double off of the Longhorn shortstop, advancing Schneider to third and setting up a Mena RBI single to plate a pair and put the Rebels up 5-0.
Ole Miss failed to score in the fourth but picked things right back up in the fifth. Following a leadoff double by Gillespie in-and-out of the glove of the Texas left fielder, McKinney slapped a single up the middle to cash in and score the run.
After Texas cracked the scoreboard with a run in the fifth, Ole Miss immediately got the run back in the sixth. After two quick outs, Gillespie sliced a single down the right field line and Mena again delivered a big hit with a looping double just in front of the diving UT center fielder. Gillespie turned on the jets, coming all the way around from first to make it 7-1.
The next inning, the Rebels again added to their lead. Pinch hitting for Becker, Gabby Alvarez roped a double just inside the left field foul line, with Becker coming back in to run. Stancil then lofted a routine fly ball to center but the Texas centerfielder was unable to squeeze it, allowing Becker to score.
Texas was able to draw one closer in the bottom half but Jahnke buckled down and set the Longhorns down in the final frame before any real threat of a comeback could develop.
Ole Miss is back at it south of the border on Friday, taking on Houston at Nancy Almaraz Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.
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. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16. Additionally, fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss softball and all of Ole Miss athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports Information