From the Wire: Ole Miss softball walks off No. 12 Tennessee on Senior Day
This story were provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
OXFORD, Miss. – Catelyn Riley’s walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh helped Ole Miss knock off No 12 Tennessee 5-4 in front of a packed crowd on Senior Day at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
The Rebels (35-14, 9-10 SEC) never trailed as they took down the 12th-ranked Lady Vols (34-14, 11-7 SEC). Senior Anna Borgen had the Lady Vol hitters on their toes all game, tossing 6.1 innings and only surrendering one earned run. Riley came in to close out the contest earning her 11th victory of the season.
At the plate, Paige Smith went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a solo home run. Tate Whitley and Bre Roper also came up big, tallying two hits each. Whitley also scored a pair of runs, including the game-winning run on Riley’s walk-off single.
Ole Miss wasted no time, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead after one inning. A pair of two-out walks from Abbey Latham and Riley turned into the first runs of the ball game as Smith found the gap for an RBI double.
Borgen stranded runners on the first two frames and worked a clean one-two-three third; however, Tennessee managed to tie things up in the fourth, taking advantage of three uncharacteristic errors in the inning.
Just after tying things up, Smith put the Rebels out in front once again. The junior third baseman blasted her team-leading ninth home run of the season to give Ole Miss the lead once again. She continued to do it all, turning an inning-ending double play in the top of the fifth, stepping on the bag at third and firing the ball across the diamond.
With one away in the fifth inning, the one-two punch of Whitley and Roper went to work. Whitley slapped a single back up the middle, and Roper brought her in with a double to the wall in left center to increase the lead to 4-2.
The defense and Borgen continued to roll as she retired the side in order in the sixth, capping off the inning with her third strikeout of the game.
Down to its final two outs, Tennessee once again pulled even. A solo home run brought the Lady Vols back within one, and a pair of singles and a walk tied it up at four apiece.
Backs against the wall, Ole Miss came up with two huge outs to keep the game tied. KK Esparza threw a bullet, and Keila Kamoku tagged out Tennessee’s Zaida Puni, who was trying to stretch her RBI single on the throw to the plate. Mikayla Allee then handled the final out of the inning, throwing out Kelcy Leach, despite a slight bobble on the play.
Looking to cap off the Senior Day upset in style, Whitley and Roper recorded back-to-back singles with one out. Latham then grounded into a fielder’s choice as the call of a double play on the field was overturned. With two outs put back on the board, Riley, the Dandridge, Tennessee, native, delivered the walk-off single past the outstretched second baseman to score Whitley as the winning run.
Ole Miss and Tennessee will square off again Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
