Ole Miss showcased its bats and pitching on day one of the Troy Invitational, taking down Nicholls State 10-2 and Eastern Kentucky 2-1 on Friday.
Freshman Catelyn Riley and senior Savannah Diederich both threw complete game efforts as the Rebels moved to 6-2 on the season. Tate Whitley and Abbey Latham each finished the day with three hits, as Ole Miss tallied 15 as a team.
GAME ONE: OLE MISS 10, NICHOLLS STATE 2
Riley made her first career start in the circle for the Rebels, tossing 5.0 dominant innings in the 10-2 victory over Nicholls State.
Ole Miss jumped out to an early one-run lead in the top half of the first after Bre Roper singled through the right side, swiped a base and came around to score on the 125th RBI of Latham’s career. The Rebels extended their lead in the second as Whitley drove in two more on a bases-loaded single up the middle to make it 3-0.
The Rebels tacked on four more in the third. Aynslie Furbush took one the other way, blasting a three-run shot over the wall in right center. Mikayla Allee, Angelina DeLeon and Whitley loaded the bases again, and Roper drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.
Furbush and Brooke Barnard started a two-out rally in the fourth with a walk and Barnard’s first collegiate hit. That brought freshman Annie Orman to the plate, where she took only the third pitch of her career for a ride sending the Rebel dugout into a frenzy.
Riley was sharp in the circle, only needing eight pitches in the third and nine in the fourth. She finished the ball game with five strikeouts.
Nicholls State kept the Rebels off the scoreboard for the first time all game in the fifth. The Colonels got two back in the bottom half of the inning to avoid the shutout, but it wasn’t enough.
GAME TWO: OLE MISS 2, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
Diederich’s 14 strikeout gem gave Ole Miss the fire it needed to pick up its second win of the day, a 2-1 comeback victory over EKU.
After allowing a leadoff single, Diederich settled in struck out the next eight batters she faced, earning each of the first nine outs of the ball game via strikeout.
Ole Miss threatened in the second but couldn’t bring Latham around after she singled and moved into scoring position. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that either team got on the board. EKU capitalized on a leadoff double to take a 1-0 lead.
The Rebels tied things back up in the fifth inning as Nyomi Jones pinch ran for Furbush after a single. The center fielder then swiped second and advanced to third on a groundout. That brought freshman KK Esparza to the dish with two outs, and she delivered with a bloop single.
Whitley led off the following inning with an infield single and advanced to second with some heads up baserunning on a throwing error back to the pitcher. She came around to score the go-ahead run on a sac fly by Paige Smith, making it a 2-1 contest.
Diederich came back out for the final inning and retired the side, capping off the afternoon with her 14th punchout, one shy of her career-high.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
