Rebels blank Belmont, sweep Classic

Published 12:00 pm Monday, March 7, 2016

Ole Miss softball closed its 2016 tournament slate in style Sunday, run ruling Belmont, 8-0, in five innings in the final contest of the Red & Blue Classic.

“The girls swung the bats well today,” head coach Mike Smith said. “Our first two weekends going 4-1, knowing that we could’ve easily gone 5-0 and just missed some opportunities, I think that’s helped focus our girls a little bit more. Even though we didn’t play great softball this week, we played good enough to get Ws.”

After two-straight home weekends of tournament play, the Rebels sit at 19-3 on the season, the best overall start in program history. The Rebels are 10-0 at the Ole Miss Softball Complex after back-to-back home weekends, becoming the first team in program history to go undefeated at home through 10 games.

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Sunday’s victory provided the opportunity for 21 different Rebels to see the field as eight got a hit and six drove in runs over the Bruins (3-15).

The Rebels wasted no time getting the wheels turning Sunday, posting a two-run first to go up early on Belmont. Elantra Cox posted the first of her two hits on the day on a leadoff single, before she scored on an Ashton Lampton single to left field. Courtney Syrett added her ninth RBI of the season one at-bat later on a sacrifice fly to right field, pushing Miranda Strother across to cap the inning.

Ole Miss kept it rolling an inning later thanks to Cox’s second RBI single, and a two-RBI double from Strother to make it 5-0 Rebels through two.

The Rebels converted the double steal in the third when Alyssa Invergo was successful running home, before Sarah Van Schaik’s sacrifice fly an inning later gave the Rebels a 7-0 advantage heading to the fifth.

Pinch-hitter Kennedy Cline started off the fifth reaching on a hit by pitch, and Haley Culley walked to setup runners at first and second.