Pitcher Kelly Barnhill started moving as soon as she heard the ping of the bat.
The ball immediately hit the dirt and bounced high into the air. She snagged the ball, took a couple steps and pitched the ball underhanded to first baseman Amanda Lorenz. The throw was too high and drew Lorenz off the bag, and Ole Miss left fielder Tate Whitley was safe at first.
The Rebels now had runners on first and second and just one out instead of two outs in the inning and a runner on second in the bottom of the eighth.
That’s all a team needs in order to take advantage sometimes in softball.
Designated player Abbey Latham crushed Barnhill’s pitch to left field three batters latter with the bases loaded and two outs for a walk-off 8-4 win for the No. 22 Rebels at Ole Miss Softball Complex in Oxford, Mississippi.
Freshman Elizabeth Hightower was given the start on Saturday. She went five innings, struck out three and gave up three runs, two of which were earned.
Ole Miss (23-9, 4-3 SEC) struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Kylan Becker led off with a single, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. She scored two batters later on an error by shortstop Sophia Reynoso, her second error in as many days, to make it 1-0.
The Rebels picked up two more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Much like the first run, Ole Miss scored off the small ball.
Kelsha Loftin came in to pinch-run after shortstop Mikayla Allee singled. Loftin stole second and scored on an RBI single from Becker. Becker advanced to third on a wild throw to second by catcher Kendyl Lindaman.
Becker scored after Latham lined the next pitch to left field for a 3-0 lead.
No. 6 Florida (29-7, 3-5 SEC) struggled against Ole Miss starter Molly Jacobsen until a four-run rally in the top of the fifth inning.
Jaimie Hoover hit a no-doubter to left field to narrow the lead to two, and then Lindaman blasted a three-run bomb, her ninth home run in her last 10 games, later in the inning to take a 4-3 lead.
Coach Tim Walton replaced Hightower with Barnhill less than 24 hours after Barnhill threw 205 pitches. The senior retired the Rebels in order in her first inning, but things went downhill from there.
Whitley led off theseventh inning with a single and advanced to second on an error by left fielder Jade Caraway. She was replaced with pinch-runner Katelin Cooper, who advanced to third when a pitch got away from catcher Jordan Roberts.
Barnhill loaded the bases after hitting a batter and walking another. She nearly escaped the jam after getting two consecutive strikeouts but gave up the tying run by hitting catcher Autumn Gillespie with a pitch.
Ole Miss replaced Jacobsen with Brittany Finney for the eighth inning, and she held the Gators scoreless. The Rebels then loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth before eventually winning the game on the grand slam.
Tomorrow’s rubber match is set for a 1 p.m. start.
Kelly Barnhill pitched 2.2 innings, surrendered three hits, five runs and walked three in Florida's loss to Ole Miss.
