OXFORD, Miss. | Gabby Stagner moved one home run closer to reaching the program's career mark, but South Alabama fell 12-4 in eight innings Sunday afternoon on day three of the Ole Miss Classic held at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium. Stagner now has 35 home runs for her career, just one shy of Kamdyn Kvistad's record.

Olivia Branstetter was 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Gabby Stagner homered and Sidney Lee also had a two-run double in the loss for the Jaguars (11-9). 

Ole Miss (18-3) was led at the plate by Percy Llamas who homered twice and drove in four. Lair Beautae had a pair of hits and drove in three, while Mackenzie Pickens and Angelina DeLeon also had two RBI with the latter homering.

How It Happened 
•    South Alabama struck first in the opening frame without the benefit of a hit. Presley Lively drew a leadoff walk to begin the game, and the freshman outfielder moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. With one away, Lively moved up on another wild pitch and then came around to score when the throw to third was high (USA, 1-0).
•    Taylor Malvin and Jaden Pone walked to begin the bottom of the first for the Rebels, who then both moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. Llamas then put Ole Miss on top (3-1) with a three-run shot to center. 
•    Ole Miss added to its lead in the bottom of the third with four runs. Brady was hit by a pitch with one out, and one batter later, pinch runner Star Ferguson came into score on Picken's double to left center. Beautae followed with a RBI double of her own to extend the Rebel lead to four (5-1), scorning Pickens. DeLeon then homered off the foul pole in left (OM, 7-1). 
•    Stagner broke up the no-hit bid in the top of the fourth as she drove a 0-1 pitch deep over the wall in left for her eighth home run of the season. Branstetter then singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Megan Davidson registered South's third straight hit with a single through the left side of the infield to put runners at the corners. Davidson then moved up to second on a wild pitch, and on the 10th pitch of her at-bat, Lee clears the bases with her team-leading seventh double (OM, 7-4). 
•    The Rebels quickly regained the momentum as Llamas led off the bottom half of the inning with her second home run of the day (OM, 8-4). Brady lined a double down the third-base line, and Pickens was hit by a pitch. After a passed ball advanced the two runners, DeLeon walked with one out to load the bases for the Rebels.
•    Branstetter dropped in a single to left center – her second hit of the game and her fourth multi-hit effort this spring. 
•    Alley Binford reached on a Jaguar error with one away in the Ole Miss fifth, and pinch runner Addison Duke then stole second to move into scoring position. Llamas and Brady drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, and Duke scored later in the inning on a fielder's choice (OM, 9-4). Beautae then tripled to left, which was just barely out of Brooklynn Bockhaus' diving effort (OM, 11-4). 
•    Malvin walked for the third time and Pone singled through the left side of the infield with one out in the sixth. The two runners then moved up on a wild pitch, and Binford then lifted a walk-off sacrifice fly to end the game (OM, 12-4).

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the sixth in the series between the two programs and the second on the weekend
•    Lively has reached base safely in six of her last seven, and 16 of her 20 games and scored a run in 13 games, including six multiple run games
•    Lively has reached base in her first plate appearance in nine times this spring
•    Lively has scored at least one run in seven of her last nine, tallying 10 runs
•    Stagner has reached base in 10-straight – her third double-digit streak of her career – and 17 of her 20 games
•    The home run was the 35th of Stagner's career, moving her within one of Kamdyn Kvistad's program mark (36, 2018-22)
•    It was also the 74th extra-base hit of Stagner's career (34-5-35) as she is seven extra-base hits shy of Victoria Ortiz's (2019-23) program mark of 81 (46-4-31)
•    Stagner also has six lead-off home runs in her career
•    Branstetter has reached base in 16 of her last 20 games, and ??drew a walk in nine games
•    Davidson has reached base safely in 12 of her last 13, and 17 of her 19 games this spring
•    Lee has had a hit in seven of her last nine
•    Hall reach base safely all four of her plate appearances 

Up Next
•    South Alabama continues on the road at McNeese State on Wednesday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Cowgirl Diamond.

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