Ole Miss stormed back in both games on the second day of the Easton Invitational, taking down Colorado State, 7-6, and Cal State Fullerton, 6-5. The Rebels never quit, overcoming four-run deficits in both games.
Aynslie Furbush and Savannah Diederich earned victories for Ole Miss in the circle, while freshman KK Esparza recorded multiple hits in both games as the Rebels tallied double-digit hits in the two contests.
GAME ONE: OLE MISS 7, COLORADO STATE 6
Colorado State opened up the ball game with a four-spot in the bottom of the first inning, using a solo home run and timely two-out hitting to take the lead. Furbush took over in the circle after the Rebels used two pitchers, getting the final out of the first inning and tossing 4.1 innings of one-run ball.
Ole Miss finally broke through with a big six-run third inning in which it batted through the order. Esparza smacked a double in the gap, and Tate Whitley immediately drove her in. Colorado State picked up two quick outs, but the Rebels weren’t done yet as Latham and Furbush tied the ballgame up with an RBI double and single. Colorado State turned to the bullpen, trying to end the inning, but Esparza finished what she started, knocking in two more with an RBI single up the middle.
The Rams got one back in the bottom of the third with another solo home run, but Ole Miss matched in in the fourth with Latham’s second RBI of the afternoon. Colorado State would threaten again in the sixth, taking advantage of a Rebel error to cut the lead to one. With a lead to protect, Ole Miss turned to Diederich in the circle for the final six outs of the game and the save.
GAME TWO: OLE MISS 6, CAL STATE FULLERTON 5
Ole Miss surrendered first inning runs once again, as Cal State Fullerton jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Titans scored all four with two outs in the inning, ending Borgen’s night. Diederich took over in the second and would go on to retire nine straight batters through the fourth inning and helped keep the Fullerton bats at bay.
Roper doubled in the first of the game in the third, scoring Mikayla Allee, but a double-play ground ball made it difficult for the Rebs to threaten further.
It wasn’t until the fifth inning, that Ole Miss finally broke through. Latham sparked a four-run inning with a double down the line. Two batters later, Angelina DeLeon recorded her first career hit, smoking an RBI single past the third baseman to cut the lead in half. Whitley then tied it up with a single up the middle eventually came around to score the final run of the inning on a throwing error.
Fullerton’s Alyssa Hernandez knotted things back up in the bottom of the sixth, sending a solo home run over the left field fence. The Titans thought they had the go-ahead run on a wild play at the plate, but Esparza made a heads-up play to tag the runner who never touched the bag, ending the inning.
Whitley and Esparza opened the seventh with back-to-back singles, and Nyomi Jones flexed her speed on a bunt to beat out the throw and load the bases with no outs. Whitley tagged up on a sacrifice fly from Roper in what proved to be the winning run.
Diederich slammed the door with a 1-2-3 inning, earning her first victory of the season and locking up another come-from-behind victory for the Rebels.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
