It was a productive weekend for the Ole Miss softball team as they finished out their last two games of the Paradise Classic in Honolulu.
In their first tournament of the season the Rebels went 4-1, winning the last four games after dropping the first. The final two games were played against the hosts of the tournament, the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
Game one took place on Saturday and was a dominant performance from the Rebels offense. No time was wasted as the 1st inning began with a two RBI single from catcher Lexie Brady.
Shortly after, designated hitter Annie Orman brought Brady around to score, quickly making the score 3-0 after the first. The very next inning, the bats got even hotter as the Rebels scored five more runs, largely due to a whopping six walks, to bring the score to 8-0.
Ole Miss continued to roll, eventually winning 15-0 in the 5th inning. Pitcher Catelyn Riley pitched a complete game shutout, only giving up three hits as the Rebel offense did their part to earn the dominant run rule win.
The second meeting between the two teams took place the next day on Sunday afternoon. The Rebels did not score nearly as many runs in game two as they did in the first, but they had four more hits (13) than the previous game.
This game was far more competitive and tame offensively, as it was scoreless through two innings until center fielder Jalia Lassetter hit a monster trip to bring around the first run of the game. Following in her footsteps was left fielder Jaden Pone and infielder Delaney Rummell each with an RBI to make the score 3-0.
The Rainbow Warriors finally scored their first run in the 5th inning with an RBI single from their designated hitter Haley Johnson. This, however, was not enough to stop the Rebels as they scored twice in the 7th inning, ending the game with a score of 5-1 and a Rebel win.
This was a very promising start to the 2024 season for Ole Miss softball as they hope to make a long awaited run to the WCWS this summer. The Rebel’s next game will be on Friday Feb. 16th at 10 a.m. in Kennesaw, Ga. as they get set for the Kennesaw State Tournament.
