No. 22 Rebels Even Series with No. 6 Gators

Saturday, March 30

Oxford, Miss.

2 PM

Florida Gators

29-7, 2-5

Ole Miss

23-9, 4-3

Florida

Ole Miss

No. 6 Florida is now 3-1 in extra-inning games this season.

No. 22 Rebels Even Series with No. 6 Gators

Saturday, March 30, 2019 | Softball

Box Score Highlights Box Score (PDF)

By: Herb Brooks

OXFORD, Miss. – No. 22 Ole Miss evened the series 1-1 after it took the second extra-inning game, 8-4, over No. 6 Florida at the Ole Miss Softball Complex Saturday afternoon.

The Gators (29-7, 3-5 SEC) rallied from a 0-3 deficit with a four-run top of the fifth against the Rebels (23-9, 4-3 SEC). Jaimie Hoover started the rally with a solo home run to left field that led off the inning, while Kendyl Lindaman capped the scoring and put UF ahead 4-3 with a three-run home run.

Elizabeth Hightower picked up her first career SEC start in the circle and hurled five-complete innings, while she only gave up three runs, two earned, in the effort. Hightower also picked up a trio of strikeouts during the outing.

Kelly Barnhill (19-4) entered the game in the sixth with a 4-3 lead to try and close out the game after she had hurled a program-record 15 innings the previous evening. The Marietta, Ga. native retired the Ole Miss side in order in the sixth, but the Rebels found a way to tie the game in the seventh with a two out bases loaded hit-by-pitch.

For the second-consecutive game the Gators and the Rebel entered an extra-inning affair, but this time the home team earned the decision thanks to a two-out walk-off grand slam from Abbey Latham. Relief pitcher Brittany Finney (7-5) picked up the win for Ole Miss after she entered the game for Molly Jacobsen in eighth inning of play.

How It Happened – No. 22 Ole Miss – L, 8-4

Inning	Score	Play
B-1^st	0-1	Kylan Becker broke open the scoring after she crossed home on a miscue by the Gators in the field during Autumn Gillespie's at-bat.
B-3^rd	0-2	Becker drove in the Rebels second run of the game with an RBI single to right field that scored pinch-runner Kelsha Loftin. Becker advanced to third on an errant throw to second.
B-3^rd	0-3	Abbey Latham singled to left field to push across Becker for the third run of the game.
T-5^th	1-3	Hoover put the Gators on the scoreboard with solo home run over the left field wall off of Jacobsen.
T-5^th	4-3	Lindaman produced her 12^th home run of the season as she sent the 0-1 pitch offered from Jacobsen over the left field wall for a three-run home run.
B-7^th	4-4	A two-out bases loaded hit-by-pitch drawn by Autumn Gillespie tied the game and sent the contest into extra innings.
B-8^th	8-4	Abbey Latham ended the game with a two-out walk-off grand slam.

Standout Statistic

The last time the Gators played in back-to-back extra-inning games occurred in 2013 when Florida played three consecutive extra-inning games against Tennessee in Gainesville.
- March 15 – vs. Tennessee – W, 6-5 (8)
- March 16 – vs. Tennessee – L, 3-1 (8)
- March 17 – vs. Tennessee – W, 5-3 (8)

Notable Notes

Gators all-time record against the Rebels is now 49-10 and 22-6 in Oxford.
Gators are now 9-7 against top-25 opponents this season.
UF dropped its' first extra-inning game of the season and now holds a 3-1 record in such games.
- It's the first time this season that UF has played back-to-back extra-inning games.
- The last time the Gators played in back-to-back extra-inning games occurred in 2013 when played three consecutive against Tennessee in Gainesville.
With five strikeouts against the Rebels this afternoon, Barnhill upped her career strikeout total to 1,039.
- She struck out the side in the 7th inning and has now struck out the side 21 times this year.
The Gators rank second in the nation in total strikeouts with 317 on the season.
Lindaman reached base-safely streak 35 games.
- The only game she did not reach base safely was the season opener against Illinois State Feb. 8, 2019.
Lindaman has also hit 10 home runs in the last 11 games with six occurring against top-25 opponents.
Jade Caraway is currently on a seven-game hit streak after she went 1-for-3 from the leadoff spot in the lineup today.

Next Up

No. 6 Florida looks to take its first SEC series of the season with a rubber-match game against No. 22 Ole Miss tomorrow at 1 p.m. (ET).

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