Finney's HR Lifts No. 23 Rebels To Walk-Off Win Over La Tech

In a back-and-forth midweek battle with Louisiana Tech, sophomore Brittany Finney was the last to take an at-bat, drilling a solo home run in the eighth inning to help the Rebels to a 4-3, walk-off victory Wednesday night.
A matchup that featured early scoring from Ole Miss (13-2) and a late surge from the Lady Techsters (11-6), took eight innings to complete in what turned out to be a chilly home opener in Oxford.
With three runs through the first four innings, the Rebels struggled at the plate against Louisiana Tech starter Preslee Gallaway all game, as she finished with 12 strikeouts, just one walk, and three earned runs allowed off nine hits. But, it was Finney’s bat in the eighth that kept Ole Miss’ win streak intact, now extending to 10 games.
Junior Kaitlin Lee got the start in the circle for the Rebels, and after surrendering a first-inning run, fought her way through the middle innings before Louisiana Tech cut into the lead late in the contest. Junior Alyssa Clayton entered in relief and earned the win improving to 4-0, after allowing just one hit across three frames with three strikeouts.
The Lady Techsters got the offense going early thanks to a 1-out triple, followed by an RBI single snapping the Rebels’ 50-inning streak where they didn’t trail in a game. But, Ole Miss responded in its first chance at the plate, thanks to a leadoff triple from Elantra Cox, before a passed ball pushed her home knotting it up, 1-1.
The Rebels increased their lead to 2-1 in the next inning when Courtney Syrett and Kaylee Horton both doubled, setting up a sacrifice fly for Dylinn Stancil, who drove in the run for one of her two RBI on the evening.
Two frames later, the lead was pushed to 3-1 when Stancil launched her second home run of the season to left-center, giving Lee a 2-run cushion in the circle.
But, Louisiana Tech didn’t allow the cushion to last very long, as they sent seven batters to the plate in the sixth to tie it back up. The Lady Techsters’ first three batters reached via two singles and a walk, setting up a bases loaded situation. Clayton then entered in a tough spot and immediately threw a wild pitch, cutting the score to 3-2. The next batter rolled a ground ball to Ashton Lampton at shortstop, when she fired home for the first out on what resulted in a collision at the plate.
After another wild pitch moved the lone runner up to second, Clayton got a strikeout, then hit a batter. A wild pitch eventually scored the tying third run, but Clayton escaped any more damage with her second punch out of the inning stranding two baserunners.
A 1-2-3 home half sent the game to the seventh, when Louisiana Tech looked to have another chance at the plate. A leadoff single, then a walk put two on early, before a bunt attempt resulted in a strikeout for a big first out. Clayton then got exactly what she was looking for, rolling up the 6-4-3 double play to again escape trouble and end the half inning.
The Rebels put two runners in scoring position in their half of the seventh thanks to a 2-out single from Cox, before she stole and moved to third on a wild pitch. Kylan Becker, who struck out but reached on the wild pitch, eventually moved to second on a steal, but Lampton went down looking sending the game to extras, the first extra-inning affair for Ole Miss this season.
This time, Clayton was perfect retiring the Lady Techsters in order, again giving the Rebels a chance to end it. And that they did, as Finney, who was actually replaced defensively earlier in the game, blasted a solo shot to left-center field, ending the eight-inning battle.
Cox, the defending SEC Player of the Week, finished the night 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, while six other Rebels accounted for the remaining hits.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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