Photo by Hannah Morgan White/Ole Miss Athletics
The Lady Rebels continued to stay hot early in the season, improving to 12-3 with four wins on the road at the Rocket City Softball Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.
After game one against East Tennessee State was canceled, Ole Miss jumped into their next game against North Alabama. Coming into the weekend, the Lions were undefeated, which set up a competitive match for Ole Miss.
Star freshman pitcher Miali Guachino thrived on the mound. Guachino threw a complete game shutout with 14 strikeouts in a 4-0 win for Ole Miss.
The next day, the Rebels faced Miami (OH). Two-way player Aliyah Binford impressed Rebel fans and proved why she is one of the best in the country with her outstanding performance against Miami.
She went 3 for 4 at the plate with two RBIs and pitched a full game with a career high eight strikeouts on Saturday in the 7-1 win, putting the Rebels into double digit wins on the season.
After getting the afternoon off, the Rebels played a double-header on Sunday starting with James Madison. The bats got hot early for both teams as first baseman Persey Llamas hit a three-run home run for the Rebels to put them up early.
However, the Dukes wasted no time to respond. In the top of the second, they amassed four runs on five hits to take the lead from the Rebels. That was all the runs and hits they received the rest of the game.
Ole Miss center fielder Jaime Mackay put the Rebels back in the lead in the fifth inning to seal the deal with a sacrifice fly. Ole Miss won 6-4 in comeback fashion.
The final game of the showcase was against Louisiana Tech. The Rebels hoped to make a statement in their final game on the road before their home opener. Who better to make a statement than Rebel’s ace pitcher Guachino?
Guachino pitched yet another complete game, her second of the weekend, in the Rebels’ final game of the weekend. The offense was led by second baseman Mackenzie Pickens, who batted 1.000 and earned a career high five RBIs. She finished the game one hit shy of the cycle in the Rebels 8-3 victory.
After playing 15 games on the road and earning an impressive 12-3 record, the Ole Miss Softball team will take a break from traveling for a few matches in Oxford.
Who’s Next?
The Rebels will face McNeese State at home on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the newly renovated Ole Miss Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on SEC Network+. This will be the first game in the new softball stadium.
