In a game that saw few players with hits and even fewer on bases, the Skyhawks defeated the Rebels of Ole Miss 1-0.
The wind at Bettye Giles Field was an issue for both teams, as neither had a base hit until the top of the fourth inning. Senior Leah Tate was on base first for the Skyhawks and waited patiently as sophomore Kenzi Tate drove her home from second base for the only run of the day
“Kenzi is red hot at the plate and in my opinion the hottest player in the Ohio Valley Conference,” said head coach Donley Canary. “She continues to hit the ball hard. You saw her go 2-for-3, tally the winning run and in ideal conditions probably have a home run in the second.”
At the top of the fifth the Rebels were attempting to sneak one past the Skyhawks, but Tate and freshman Deven Wilson were able to keep Ole Miss from stealing a run to tie the game.
“It’s a long season,” said coach Canary after the win. “This is a different team from last season …this team is trying to find it’s own identity. So far, we haven’t hit as well as we can. We showed some signs of that in Florida in the last two or three games, [but] today was a very cold, raw day and wasn’t real conducive to hitting for either team, but we’ve got to get more consistent with our bats.”
The Skyhawks will continue searching for their identity when they return to action Wednesday, March 16, when they travel to SIU Edwardsville to take on the Cougars. To keep up with the game, follow The Pacer on Facebook and Twitter, @ThePacer.
