KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Junior right-hander Kaitlin Lee threw a complete-game five-hitter Wednesday to lead the No. 8 seed and No. 18 Ole Miss softball team to a 2-1 victory against No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Ole Miss (37-18) won its second SEC tournament game in as many years. It will take on No. 1 seed Florida at 1:30 p.m. today (SEC Network).
Lee was dominant in her 30th start of the year. She struck out four strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter. She stranded five MSU runners to earn her 17th win.
The top four and bottom two hitters in the lineup accounted for the Rebels’ six hits. Sarah Van Schaik and Miranda Strother had the RBIs. Elantra Cox went 1-for-3 with a run scored to break the school’s single-season record, while Grayce Majam scored the other as a pinch runner.
Emily Heimberger was 2-for-3 to lead MSU (36-20), which will await its NCAA tournament fate. The field of 64 teams will be announced at 9 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
Olivia Golden hit a solo home run in the second inning to account for the Bulldogs’ offense. She has an RBI in six-straight games, and at least one hit in six of her last seven games.
Cassady Knudsen earned the start for MSU. She gave way to Alexis Silkwood after 1 2/3 innings. Silkwood threw 4 1/3 innings and struck out three and allowed three hits and no runs.
Cox started the scoring in the first inning when she led off the game with an infield single. She moved to second on a groundout and scored when Van Schaik flared one into right-center field.
Ole Miss took the lead for good in the bottom of the second. Kaylee Horton reached on a hit by pitch, and Courtney Syrett walked. After Paige McKinney roped a line drive to third, Strother singled up the middle to score Majam. Cox walked to load the bases, but Silkwood worked out of the jam.
The Rebels threatened again in the third when Ashton Lampton led off with a single. Van Schaik walked and a sacrifice bunt moved Lampton and Bry Castro (pinch runner) into scoring position. But a fielders’ choice and forceout at home, and groundout back to the pitcher again left the bases loaded.
From there, both pitchers settled in, as Lee allowed one hit the rest of the way and Silkwood worked around a couple of Ole Miss hits.
Heimberger reached on an error in the seventh, but MSU couldn’t tie the game.
n In related news, MSU’s Alexis Silkwood, Ole Miss’ Miranda Strother, and Alabama’s Sydney Littlejohn were named Wednesday to the SEC Softball Community Service Team.
Silkwood serves as President of the M-Club, a community service-driven organization on campus composed of MSU student-athletes. She is one of two student-athlete representatives selected to serve on the SEC Community Service Committee. Silkwood took part in numerous activities, such as Reading Railroad, Read Across America, Bully’s Book Blitz National Girls and Women In Sports Day. She helped run a bottled water drive for those in need in Flint, Michigan. Silkwood took part in the Cedar Hill Animal Sanctuary helping them rebuild, helping a local animal sanctuary in Mississippi make improvements to their facilities. During the Christmas holiday, she took part in MSU Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign as well as the Sally Kate Winters Christmas Party for Children, which is an event where a Christmas celebration is provided for less fortunate children. Silkwood spent time at a local assisted living facility, Montgomery Gardens, interacting and playing bingo with residents. She participated in #STATEDM17, which is a dance marathon led by STATEDM, a student-led organization focused on having fun while raising money for LeBonheur Children’s Hospital through Children’s Miracle Network. Silkwood also took part in Pink Dawg Walk, which helps raise awareness and money for the fight against breast cancer. She is a member of the Mississippi State University History Club and MSU Young Life. Silkwood earned Fall 2016 Top Dawgs and President’s List academic honors.
Strother has been active in the community ever since her arrival to campus four years ago. As an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), she is one of the top leaders both on and off the field. In 2016 alone, Strother participated in More Than a Meal, helping provide meals to locals in the community, and also helped out at North Mississippi Regional Center. She assisted in tornado relief efforts in 2015 and has been on numerous visits to local hospitals, including St. Jude’s in Memphis, and Batson Children’s in Jackson. More locally, Strother has actively participated in Trunk or Treat, helped out at the local humane society, and participated in Reading with the Rebels at local schools throughout her time as a Rebel.
Littlejohn served as the volunteer coordinator for the National Pro Fastpitch Championship, which took place at Rhoads Stadium in August of 2016. In addition to managing the various other volunteers at the event, she helped with the event management side of the event, including risk management situations such as rain delays. That same weekend, Littlejohn volunteered at the annual “Yeah Yeah Yeah 5K” in Tuscaloosa, which raises funds to benefit the Thomas Plott Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She participated in Alabama’s annual Halloween Extravaganza, which lets student-athletes interact with area youth in fun Halloween-themed games and activities. For National Women’s in Sports Day in February, Littlejohn spoke to young school children about the positive experiences of being a student-athlete and earning a college degree while learning life lessons through sports. She also celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday by reading his books with kids at local schools.
Arkansas’ Parker Pockington, Auburn’s Kasey Cooper, Florida’s Kayli Kvistad, Georgia’s Maeve McGuire, Kentucky’s Shannon Smith, LSU’s Elyse Thornhill, Missouri’s Kirsten Mack, South Carolina’s Macey Webb, Tennessee’s Megan Geer, and Texas A&M’s Celena Massey joined them on the team.
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