No. 16 Ole Miss softball lost a three-game series to No. 1 Tennessee this weekend in Oxford.
Game one (won 3-2)
On Friday night, the Lady Rebels pulled off an upset at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium. This win marked the Lady Rebels’ first victory over a top-ranked team since 2017, when they beat No. 1 Florida in the SEC Tournament.
Miali Guachino led the way for Ole Miss. The freshman pitched a strong 5 2/3 innings and gave up just two runs on four hits to earn her 14th win. At the plate, the Lady Rebels struck early with a three-run second inning fueled by Mackenzie Pickens’ RBI single, a bunt from Angelina DeLeon and an RBI groundout by Taylor Malvin.
Tennessee made a push late in the game, but Ole Miss pitcher Brianna Lopez struck out three Lady Volunteers to secure the save.
Game two (lost 6-0)
Ole Miss lost the second game of the series 6-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Lopez matched Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens inning for inning in an early pitching duel, yet the Lady Rebels were plagued by offensive woes. They failed to score a run despite having runners in scoring position in six straight innings.
A sacrifice fly gave Tennessee a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. A stellar seventh inning for the Lady Volunteers ended the game.
Game three (lost 7-1)
The Rebels dropped the series after losing 7-1 on Sunday. Despite an early 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI double by Lair Beautae, the Rebels could not hold off the Lady Volunteers. Tennessee took the lead with a three-run homer in the third inning and went on to score four more runs.
Although Lair Beautae and Persy Llamas each had two hits, Ole Miss missed a number of crucial scoring opportunities.
The Rebels will head on the road to face No. 17 Mississippi State for their final regular season series on Thursday, May 1.
