The Ole Miss softball team kept changing pitchers, but it probably should have been changing fielders.
Texas A&M took advantage of the Rebels’ leaky defense for a 5-2 victory Friday night in the opener of A&M’s last home Southeastern Conference series of the season at Davis Diamond before 2,162 fans.
All A&M’s runs were unearned as the 11th-ranked Aggies (35-9, 13-6) remained in second place in the SEC behind Tennessee (33-7, 13-3). Last-place Ole Miss (25-20, 3-13) lost its 10th straight league game. Offense has been the biggest problem during the skid with the Rebels shut out four times and managing only one run in three other games. Friday night it was all about defense as Ole Miss had three physical errors, made some poor decisions and had two passed balls.
A&M had only five hits and didn’t even drive in a run.
People are also reading…
“At this point of the year, a win is a win,” A&M head coach Trisha Ford said. “I was really impressed with our base running tonight. I felt like that was the game-changer.”
Senior Rylen Wiggins led the way by scoring two runs and stealing a base. Sophomore Amari Harper and junior Kramer Eschete, the first two batters in the order, combined for three hits with each scoring a run.
“I’m excited about us winning a ballgame like that,” Ford said. “Now we also know we can win a ballgame like that. We can win the ballgame with our defense. We can win our ballgame with pitching or hitting. We’ve kind of done it all. We’ve come back [in games], we’ve worked ahead. All these are little notches in our belt.”
Ole Miss couldn't tighten its defensive belt. The Rebels' giving started in the fourth inning. A&M senior Trinity Cannon singled and with one out Wiggins walked. Sophomore Aiyana Coleman weakly grounded out, allowing the runners to move into scoring position.
Ole Miss catcher Lexie Brady couldn’t handle a rise ball while sophomore Kennedy Powell batting that allowed the runner from third to score. And when Brady was slow retrieving the softball, Wiggins also scored from second.
Ole Miss’ offense managed to tie the game at 2 in the next inning, but the defense gave the lead right back.
Harper, who had nothing to show for hitting the ball hard in her first two at-bats, reached on an infield single, though shortstop Ryan Starr made a valiant effort.
Eschete attempted a sacrifice bunt and Brady with a good throw would have retired Harper at second base on a force play, but the softball sailed into center field, leaving two runners in scoring position.
Ole Miss reliever Catelyn Riley got a big out as A&M leading hitter Jazmine Hill fouled out to first baseman Paige Smith who made a nice catch.
Riley was lifted for Brianna Lopez, who struck out A&M senior Julia Cottrill on a nasty pitch in the dirt that turned into a wild pitch. Brady threw the ball away trying to retire Cottrill at first, allowing two runners to score, giving A&M a 4-2 lead.
The Aggies scored their final run in the sixth. Wiggins reached on a fielding error by Starr. Wiggins moved to second on a passed ball. Wiggins stole third with two outs, and she easily scored on the play when Brady threw to third from her stance with the ball going down the left-field line.
Ford praised the aggressiveness of third-base coach Jeff Harger in having Wiggins steal third and in essence stealing another insurance run.
A&M junior left-hander Emiley Kennedy (18-7) pitched a complete game. She struck out seven and walked three. She allowed four hits, half of them in the fifth. Ole Miss’ Delaney Rummell drew a one-out, bases-loaded walk, fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches. Angelina DeLeon followed by lining the first pitch just over the left-field fence for a two-run homer. It was the junior’s first homer this season in 108 at-bats. And it was only her second career home run in 204 at-bats.
Ole Miss threatened to score more in the inning by loading the bases with two singles and a walk. Ford after three straight balls to Brady visited Kennedy to help her refocus.
“[Kennedy] hit a little bump in the road and I thought she persevered and battled through,” Ford said. “That’s what she does. I just think that growth that she has this year has been tremendous.”
Kennedy finished the four-pitch walk to Brady, but retired cleanup hitter batter Smith.
“That kid competes her tail off and she’s been tremendous for us all year long,” Ford said.
Kennedy breezed through the first four no-hit innings, walking one batter and hitting one. She threw a first-pitch strike to nine of the first 10 batters.
After the trouble in the fifth, Kennedy also had a stressful sixth as the first two batters reached and were bunted into scoring position. But Kennedy retired the next two batters and then retired the side in order in the seventh for her 18th complete game, twice as many as she had in the first two years combined. She threw 129 pitches, which tied for the second most this season. She also threw that many in an eight-inning 5-1 victory over Texas-San Antonio. She threw 136 pitches in a 6-5 loss at Mississippi State.
Kennedy recognizes when she has drifted from the game plan quicker this year than in the past and adjusts, Ford said.
A&M had only one extra base hit, a double by Wiggins in the second with two outs. A&M was 1 for 15 with runners on and 0 for 11 with them in scoring position. A&M barreled up some softballs early in the game, but it had nothing to show for it.
“I just thought they did a tremendous job of figuring out how to win this ballgame,” Ford said.
Ole Miss sophomore pitcher Grace Sparks had a solid outing. The right-hander from Crosby, allowed only two hits in 3 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and four walks. The two runs she allowed were unearned. Junior right-hander Riley (4-6) got tagged with the loss, allowing one hit and two unearned runs in one inning. Junior left-hander Lopez struck out four with no walks in 1 2/3 innings. She allowed two hits and an unearned run.
A&M junior shortstop Koko Wooley missed her third straight game while nursing a hamstring. She is hitting .321 with 15 stolen bases and has created the most havoc on the bases this year, but Wiggins, who also moved from second base to short, helped pick up the slack on the bases.
The second game of the series has been moved to 1 p.m. Saturday because of the weather forecast.
• No. 10 Florida 11, South Carolina 6: GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida (36-9, 11-5) scored 11 runs in the first three innings and cruised to victory. The Gators took advantage of 10 walks and three hit batters. South Carolina (29-16, 5-11) outhit the Gators 10-9.
Korbe Otis had two hits and four runs batted in for the Gators. Aniyah Black had two hits, including a homer for the Gamecocks.
• No. 4 Tennessee 3, No. 7 LSU 0: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vols’ Payton Gottshall carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, but gave up a pair of singles. The graduate right-hander threw 6 1/3 innings, striking out three in winning her 16th game. Sophomore right-hander Karlyn Pickens struck out the only two batters she faced for the save.
Kiki Milloy had a single for Tennessee (33-7, 13-3).
Sydney Berzon (15-5) threw a complete game for LSU (34-9, 10-9) as all of the Lady Vols’ runs were unearned.
• No. 13 Missouri 4, No. 9 Georgia 2: ATHENS, Ga. – Missouri (35-11, 8-8) with the victory matched its win total from last season and it now has won one more SEC game than a year ago. Senior Laurin Krings got the victory with 5 1/3 innings of work. It was the 50th of her career. Taylor Pannell got her NCAA-leading 10th save of the year.
Dallis Goodnight and Sydney Kuma each had two hits for Georgia (34-11, 8-8).
• No. 16 Arkansas 1, No. 14 Alabama 0: FAYETTEVILE, Ark. – Lauren Camenzind had a walk-off RBI single in the ninth.
Senior Morgan Leinstock (11-2) pitched a complete game, allowing four hits for Arkansas (31-11, 10-6).
Kenleigh Cahalan had two hits for Alabama (30-11, 7-9), which lost its third straight. Kayla Beaver (14-5) pitched a complete game, allowing nine hits. She struck out five and walked two.