University of Mississippi – Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss softball picked up two big wins against Louisiana Tech, sweeping the midweek doubleheader with the Bulldogs Tuesday night at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

The doubleheader between Ole Miss and Louisiana Tech featured a little bit of everything: home runs, strikeouts, extra innings and, of course, rally caps. The Rebels (25-19, 3-12 SEC) earned a convincing 7-3 victory in Game 1 and posted a thrilling 13-inning victory in Game 2 to secure the sweep.

Offensively, Ole Miss racked up 10+ hits in both games and hit four home runs on the day. Jalia Lassiter led the way with two dingers, while Jaden Pone collected five hits. Paige Smith produced five runs on four hits in the two games. The fifth-year senior recorded her 186^th career hit in ninth inning of game two to move to 10th^th all-time in Ole Miss program history.

GAME ONE | Ole Miss 7, Louisiana Tech 3

Three home runs and strong pitching helped Ole Miss win the first game of the midweek double dip. Smith, Lassiter and Lexie Brady all got the start, launching homers in the victory, while Lopez earned his fourth win of the season in relief, going 3.2 innings and striking out six batters.

Lassiter started the game with a hit and used his speed to put himself in scoring position. She scored the first run of the day, coming home on a sacrifice fly from Smith. Brady, who walked, came in to add a second run to the lead on an RBI single from Delaney Rummell.

Ole Miss doubled its lead in the third as Smith led off the inning with a solo home run, and Annie Orman scored another on an RBI double in the gap to make it 4-0.

Grace Sparks cruised through the first three innings, striking out nine of the first 10 batters she faced. It wasn't until the fourth game that the Bulldogs started giving him fits in the circle. Louisiana Tech cut the lead to two runs on three hits and forced the Rebels to turn to Lopez out of the bullpen. She inherited a bases loaded jam and managed to record two massive outs to minimize the damage.

In the bottom half of the fourth, Lassiter earned a run for Ole Miss with his second home run of the season, scoring his third hit of the game. She pushed the lead back to 5-2, giving the Rebels a cushion.

Brady added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth with his 12^th home run of the year, tied for third-most in a single season in program history.

With a five-point lead, Lopez went back to work in the circle. A walk and two singles resulted in just one run, and with Louisiana Tech threatening to get more, Ole Miss called on Furbush to record the final out of the game with the tying run on deck. The senior needed just three shots to secure her fourth save of the season and help the Rebels win the opener 7-3.

GAME TWO | Ole Miss 6, Louisiana Tech 5

After a four-hour, 13-round battle, Aynslie Furbush The RBI single helped Ole Miss edge Louisiana Tech in the fourth-longest game in program history to sweep the midweek doubleheader. The Rebels showed courage, recovering twice to tie the game at three and five, never faltering.

Rally with two outs in bottom of 13^th inning, Ole Miss took advantage of a defensive error that extended the frame. With two runners on, Furbush made the most of his at-bat, taking the 1-2 pitch straight up the middle to score Pone from second. The senior helped her own cause by earning the victory in the circle, striking out 13 of the 16 batters she faced over the final 4.1 innings. It was the Rebels' third win in their last four games and helped Ole Miss secure its 25th victory.^th victory of the season.

Pone led the way at the plate, tying his career high with four hits and three runs in his seven at-bats. His single bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning marked the 200^th success of his career. Angelina DeLeonFurbush, Orman and Smith all finished with multiple hits as the offense totaled 14. In the circle, Catelyn RileyLopez and Furbush combined for 13 strikeouts.

Lassiter set the tone, launching his first career home run to give Ole Miss a 1-0 lead just six pitches into the game. The Rebels continued to threaten, loading the bases, but were only able to add a single point to their lead to make it 2-0.

The Louisiana Tech ace settled in and got some production from his offense in the fourth. An Ole Miss error allowed the Bulldogs to score three unearned runs to take a 3-2 lead. Once again, the Rebels turned to Lopez to keep the opposition at bay.

Looking to tie the score at three, Orman was robbed of a home run in the fourth inning. Ole Miss continued to fight at the plate and broke through in the next inning as Smith delivered an RBI single up the middle to bring the score to 3-3.

Ole Miss had a chance to exit the contest in the bottom of the seventh with Starr third with two outs, but Louisiana Tech held on.

Heading into the ninth, Lopez had beaten 13 of the 14 batters she faced, but two walks came back to haunt the left-hander as both runs scored to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 lead.

Until their final withdrawal, the Rebels refused to give up. Pone had an infield single and Brady brought in a throw to put the tying run aboard. The head coach Jamie Trachsel called as soon as possible Taylor Malvin to pinch the point and the first goal, and the decision paid off. Smith sent a bloop single to right field, where the fielder attempted to set up for the final out. Instead, she failed to catch the ball and threw the ball to second as Malvin raced home with a one-on-one base run to give Ole Miss new life.

Furbush distributed the last 4.1 innings of play, waiting for the offense to break through. She struck out a season-high seven batters before contributing the bottom 13^th inning.

The Rebels return to SEC play this weekend with a road trip to College Station, Texas, to face No. 7 Texas A&M in a three-game series April 19-21.

For all the latest Ole Miss softball news and information, visit OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at@OleMissSoftballon Facebook atOle Miss Softballand on Instagram at@olemisssoftball. Also follow the head coachJamie Trachselon Twitter at@Jamie_Trachsel.