Blazers Edged by No. 17 Ole Miss in Extra Innings

Wednesday, April 10

Oxford, Miss.

6 P.M.

UAB

15-23

Ole Miss

28-10

UAB

Ole Miss

Blazers Edged by No. 17 Ole Miss in Extra Innings

4/10/2019 10:24:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. – The UAB softball team (15-23, 5-9 C-USA) was outlasted by No. 17 Ole Miss (28-10, 7-4 SEC) Wednesday night, falling just shy in extra innings, 3-2. The Blazers got off to a two-run lead that held for the first five innings, but the Rebels evened things up in the bottom of the sixth before later pulling out the win with a final run in the bottom of the eighth.

Junior outfielder Destini England led UAB at the plate, going 2-for-4 on the night and producing both runs for the Blazers with two RBI. UAB pitched by committee throughout the game as sophomore Emily Kachel got the start, going four innings and giving up one run on one hit with two strikeouts. Junior Claire Blount entered next, giving one run on no hits with one strikeout in 1.2 innings. Freshman Sarah Cespedes then wrapped up the game for the Blazers, also going 1.2 innings, but giving up one run on two hits with one strikeout.

"That was a tough loss," said coach Jimmy Kolaitis. "We are starting to learn to compete. We gave ourselves a chance to win. Pitching did a good job most of the game. When you compete against quality opponents, you have to execute on all parts of the game, especially in key moments. We need to take that and learn from it. Ole Miss did a better job of living in the moment and executing, especially on the offensive side, late in the ball game. We do have some positives that we can take into the weekend. We will just continue to improve and get ready for Southern Miss. We are a good ball club, and I'm excited for what this final stretch has for us."

UAB jumped on top of Ole Miss early, using a two-out rally to go up 2-0 in the top of the first. Junior infielder and Ole Miss transfer Dylinn Stancil reached on an error to get things started, and sophomore outfielder Jenna Olszewski followed that with a single to move Stancil into scoring position. Freshman Sierra Frazier was next hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting up England's two-RBI single to give UAB the early lead. Ole Miss reached base when a batter was hit by a pitch, but was unable to come up with anything else.

Neither side could get going offensively for the next couple of innings. While the Blazers only managed a single from freshman outfielder Faith Hegh in the next couple of innings, Kachel continued to take care of business from the circle, holding Ole Miss hitless through the first three innings. Along with Kachel's individual effort, the Blazer defense aided her success as Olszewski came up with a diving grab to keep Ole Miss hitless in the third.

The Blazers came up empty again in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom of the frame, the Rebels broke through. After a pair of walks, both runners advanced into scoring position on a passed ball, setting up a Rebel single to drive one home. UAB would clamp down beyond that as Kachel added another strikeout and forced a groundout soon after, ending the inning with UAB still up, 2-1.

UAB threatened in the top of the fifth, loading the bases on three walks, but Olszewski sent a screamer directly to the short stop to follow, leading to a double play to end the inning. As Blount took the reins from Kachel in the bottom of the fifth, the Rebels put a pair in scoring position. Blount took care of business though, forcing a pair of groundouts after her previous strikeout to end the inning.

The Blazers added a single from England in the top of the sixth, but nothing more. Ole Miss was then able to even things up in the bottom half of the frame, scoring on a Blazer mishap after a pair of runners had reached on walks. The Rebels were unable to climb on top from there as Cespedes replaced Blount and finished the inning without allowing a hit, keeping the score knotted at two apiece.

In the top of the seventh, UAB put a pair in scoring position after singles from Erwin and Stancil along with aggressive base running to follow, but couldn't drive a run home to take back the lead. Ole Miss put a runner on after a throwing error that advanced to third after a steal and a groundout, but Cespedes struck out the remaining batter looking to send the game into extras.

UAB went down in order in the top of the eighth, giving Ole Miss another chance to walk it off. This time, the Rebels would capitalize on the opportunity as they loaded the bases on a walk and pair of singles before the winning run was walked home.

UAB will be back home again next as it hosts Southern Miss for another weekend conference series. The Blazers and Golden Eagles are currently scheduled to play in a doubleheader on Saturday and wrap up the series on Sunday at Mary Bowers Field. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. start for game two. The series finale is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday. This weekend's schedule is tentative and subject to change depending on weather conditions.

General admission tickets for home games are on sale for $5 for adults and $3 for youth and chairback seats are available for $10 for adults and $6 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Fans can receive access to every softball, women's basketball and baseball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

For more information on the UAB softball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_SB).