Ole Miss vs. North Carolina live score updates: Rebels advance to first-ever super regional
Published 11:00 am Sunday, May 21, 2017
It’s Ole Miss taking on North Carolina for the Oxford Regional championship this afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The Rebels, the No. 12 national seed, have pitched two tournament shutouts, the latest against Arizona State on Saturday, while North Carolina (40-20) survived two elimination games Saturday to advance to the regional finals.
Ole Miss (42-18) needs just one win today to advance to its first-ever super regional. The teams will play at 1:30 p.m. with another game to follow at approximately 4 p.m. if needed.
Check back here for Ole Miss vs. North Carolina live score updates. The game will be streamed online at WatchESPN.com.
Top 1st: Ole Miss, the visiting team in this game, gets two hits in its first at-bat, but nothing comes from it. Leadoff hitter Elantra Cox was doubled off trying to steal on Kylan Becker’s popup in the infield.
Bottom 1st: Leah Murray starts UNC’s half of the inning with a single, and Kendra Lynch brings her in with a single to left. First run allowed by Ole Miss in the tournament. North Carolina 1-0.
Ole Miss’ Kaitlin Lee gets back-to-back groundouts to strand a runner at second.
Top 2nd: Nothing doing for Ole Miss in the second.
Bottom 2nd: Another leadoff single and another stolen base puts a runner in scoring position. Brittany West’s two-out infield single plates another run to increase UNC’s lead. North Carolina 2-0.
Top 3rd: Ole Miss is retired in order for the second straight inning.
Bottom 3rd: Lee works her first clean inning of the game.
Top 4th: Cox leads off with a single and moves to second on Becker’s groundout before Miranda Strother delivers a two-out RBI single to get Ole Miss on the board. North Carolina 2-1.
Brittany Finney singles home Strother, who had advanced to second on an error by UNC’s center fielder. Tied 2-2.
Bottom 4th: Lee sits UNC down in order for the second consecutive inning, two of the outs coming by way of strikeout. She’s struck out four.
Top 5th: Ole Miss gets a pair of runners on with an error and a walk, but UNC pitcher Brittany Pickett gets Becker to line out back to her to keep the game tied.
Bottom 5th: A two-out double, a walk and an intentional walk to Kendra Lynch loads the bases for UNC, but a groundout gets Lee out of it. Game still knotted at 2.
Top 6th: Finney follows Miranda Strother’s infield single with a two-run home run, a no-doubter to left. Finney has three RBIs in her first game of the regional. Ole Miss 4-2.
Ole Miss puts two more runners on but can’t add on.
Bottom 6th: Lee retires UNC in order.
Top 7th: Four straight hits to start the inning, the last an RBI single from Strother, increases Ole Miss’ lead. Ole Miss 5-2.
Ole Miss plates another run on a two-out wild pitch. Ole Miss 6-2.
Courtney Syrett lines an RBI single to left. The Rebels are starting to blow it open. Ole Miss 7-2.
Kendra Lynch comes on for UNC and gets Dakota Matiko to ground out for the third out.
Bottom 7th: Lee retires UNC in order, and Ole Miss wins the Oxford Regional to advance to the first super regional in school history. Ole Miss will either travel to No. 5 national seed UCLA or host the best-of-3 super regional next weekend depending on the outcome of the Los Angeles Regional. Final: Ole Miss 7, UNC 2
Batting order vs. North Carolina.#HottyToddy #RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/5ZjeCJAGHT
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 21, 2017