Ole Miss Softball Blows Past Memphis, 11-0

Published 9:00 am Friday, April 16, 2021

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss (26-14, 8-7 SEC) scored early and often Wednesday night against Memphis (8-25, 0-8 AAC), putting up crooked numbers in each of the first three innings to ease by the Tigers 11-0 in five innings at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

While the Rebel bats were hot, the heat coming out of the circle was just as dangerous, with Ava TillmannLandyn Bruce and Aynslie Furbush combining for the shutout. Tillmann got the start, posting two scoreless frames with one hit allowed and three strikeouts. Bruce picked up her third win of the season, tossing two innings with a single hit surrendered, while Furbush retired all three batters she faced in the fifth.

The Rebels wasted no time in getting the offense rolling, with Paige Smith leading off the game and scoring later on a dropped sacrifice in left field. A few pitches later, Abbey Latham went golfing and planted a frozen rope off the left field wall, bringing home a pair of runs to make it 3-0 after one.

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Ole Miss tacked on three more runs in the second on an error at short, a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly in foul territory, before blowing the game wide open an inning later.

A leadoff single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases before Autumn Gillespie drew another free pass, bringing in the seventh run of the night. Then, with the bags still juiced, Jessica Puk tattooed a ball over the middle, clobbering a no-doubt shot to left for a grand slam.

With a commanding lead in hand, the freshman duo of Bruce and Furbush closed things out, throwing up scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth to finish the game early.

Quick Hits
• The Rebels have won 38 consecutive regular season non-conference games played in Oxford, dating all the way back to 2018.
• The 11 runs scored is tied for the second most in a game this season for Ole Miss. The Rebels defeated Sam Houston 12-0 in San Marcos, Texas.
• Ava TillmannLandyn Bruce and Aynslie Furbush combined to hold the Tigers to just two hits, facing only three batters over the minimum.
• Wednesday marked the first appearances in the circle for Furbush and Bruce since March 5 and 6, respectively.
• Bruce has allowed just one run over her last five appearances, totaling 15 innings.
• Jessica Puk’s third inning grand slam was her sixth of the season and first since Feb. 27.
• It was Ole Miss third grand slam of the season, tied for the most in a single season in program-history. The Rebels also launched three home runs with the bags juiced in 2019.
• Puk’s five RBIs are tied for the second most driven in by a Rebel in a single game this season. Puk also holds the top spot, racking up six RBIs against Belmont. She is the only Rebel with multiple five-plus RBI games in 2021.
• Blaise Biringer recorded her fifth triple of the year, tied for the second most in a single season in program-history. It also puts the Rebel freshman in a tie for the 10th most in a career.
• Autumn Gillespie reached in all three plate appearances, scoring three times. It is the fifth time this season an Ole Miss player has scored three runs, two by the Rebel backstop.

Up Next
Ole Miss resumes SEC play over the weekend, making the trip west to Bryan-College Station, Texas, for a three-game series Friday-Sunday against Texas A&M. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network +.

For all Ole Miss softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.