OXFORD — Ole Miss junior Paige McKinney could feel the vibes from second base.
Ole Miss coach Mike Smith felt the vibes during a bullpen session.
Ole Miss pitcher Kaitlin Lee was sending those positive vibes, so the Rebels knew good things were coming.
“Oh you can tell it,” McKinney said. “I have never played with a pitcher that gives off vibes like that before. The whole team can feel it. When she starts strong and starts sending those vibes, everybody relaxes. It is going to be a good day for us.”
Lee threw a four-hit shutout Wednesday night to lead the No. 23 Ole Miss softball team to a 2-0 victory against Mississippi State before a crowd of 978 at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
It was the only regular-season meeting between the Southeastern Conference rivals, but it doesn’t count in the league standings. The SEC didn’t schedule the teams for a three-game league series this season.
Either way, the game was played with lots of emotion and intensity. Ole Miss continues to hold the upper hand in the recent series with five wins in seven tries under Smith, who is in his third year as head coach at the school.
“(Mississippi State coach Vann Stuedeman and Smith) felt like it was the right thing to do, to at least play once,” Smith said. “It’s a shame we couldn’t play a series. We are trying to grow softball in this state and we need things like that. Instead, we got one shot at them so we tried to give them our best shot.”
An inability to get the bunt down hurt the Bulldogs (22-8) after the leadoff batter reached three times. The Bulldogs stranded two runners after a hit batsman and hit in the seventh inning.
“If you want to look at the positives, we did have the potential go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh,” Stuedeman said. “The bunting game killed us. It is vital in softball. We weren’t good in it.”
After a two-out hit by Amanda Ivy, Smith make a quick trip to the mound. He felt the same vibes he felt watching Lee warm up in the bullpen prior to the game.
“There wasn’t any doubt she was going to finish the game,” Smith said. “She just put us on her back tonight. She was incredible. Texas A&M really humbled us offensively (in a three-game-sweep last week), and especially in the circle. You need a player to step up and say that is enough.”
Lee is a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, she understood the importance of the rivalry.
“It was my first time to experience the rivalry with Mississippi State, and I loved every minute of it,” said Lee, who got a groundout from Bevia Robinson, MSU’s leading hitter, to end the game. “I felt like I had it after the first inning. I thought it was in the bag. You could tell they were stepping up in the box, so I just tried to pitch in.”
Smith said MSU’s inability to hit off-speed pitching was a key part of the scouting report. He felt Lee would be best suited to pitch the style needed to win the game.
“It has been a strange season for us because we are using four or five pitchers on a regular basis,” Smith said. “The last two years it was give Madi Osias the ball and go.”
Lee (6-2) threw her fourth complete game of the season for the Rebels (22-6). She said she has enjoyed the competition between the pitchers. Lee has started, come on in middle relief, and closed this year.
“We have so many options, and that is what makes it fun,” Lee said. “All of the pitchers really push each other.”
While neither Mississippi State nor Ole Miss have a roster full of Mississippi kids (each has four), the biggest performances Wednesday night belonged to Magnolia State players.
McKinney played at DeSoto Central High School. Her two-out RBI single plated an insurance score in the sixth. A 2-0 deficit made MSU play the seventh differently on offense.
“I had this date circled since the schedule came out,” said McKinney, who is in her third year in the Ole Miss program. “It is fun playing Mississippi State. Texas A&M really humbled us this past weekend, and we have been waiting since Sunday to play this game. All of the players don’t totally get it, but for those of us from this state, we make up for the ones who don’t understand.”
Holly Ward (5-4) overcame a difficult first inning to pitch well for the Bulldogs.
In the first, Elantra Cox singled and Kylan Becker legged out an infield hit on a bunt attempt. A walk and hit batter forced in a run. Ward then retired three in a row to escape a major jam.
“She didn’t have a terrible night,” Stuedeman said. “Holly put us in a position to win the game. The first inning was unfortunate. To get out of that inning with one run allowed was a great job.”
On this night, one run was big. Lee already was sending vibes she could take care of things from there.
“It is as simple as watching her pitch when she starts feeling it,” McKinney said. “When she is in her zone, there is no one I want out there more. It’s fun playing in the field behind her when she is on. She reminds us all the time she has everything under control. More often than not, she does.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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