Mackenzie Pickens delivered the game-winning home run Friday at Auburn.
Nothing has seemed to come easy this season for the Ole Miss softball team, and that includes a 6-2, extra-inning victory Friday night at the Auburn Tigers.
Leading 2-0 and needing just three outs to secure the win in regulation, the Rebels couldn’t close the door. Instead Auburn tied the contest 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh when McKaela Walker carried an offering from Ole Miss starter Emilee Boyer deep into the night for the game-knotting home run.
Kyra Aycock was then called out of the pen to replace Boyer, putting out the fire and sending the game into extra innings.
Ole Miss second baseman Mackenzie Pickens wasted no time in the top of the eighth, giving the rebels a 3-2 edge on one swing of the bat, launching a towering shot over the outfield wall and giving Ole Miss a 3-2 lead. Later in the inning the rebels would add three more runs when Grace Thompson worked a bases loaded walk, followed by two more unearned runs crossing the plate on a fielding error by Auburn second baseman Daigle Wilson.
The win improved the Rebels to 29-21 overall and to 3-16 inside the always-difficult SEC. Auburn slipped to 24-23 and 3-16 in SEC action.
Ole Miss broke a scoreless tie with single runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings. The Rebels removed the goose eggs on the scoreboard when left fielder Laylonna Applin led off the fifth with a solo home run over the left field wall. Ole Miss doubled its lead to 2-0 in sixth when Rachel Connors singled through the middle of the Auburn infield bringing teammate Alexa Rosales home.
Auburn rallied to tie the game 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss starter Emilee Boyer was getting it done in the circle. Boyer, who was anything but sharp in her last few conference outings, found her groove versus Auburn. She worked swix innings before finally running into trouble in the seventh. Boyer allowed just two huts and the two earned runs and walk, while striking out two in the no-decision effort.
Aycock (12-9) earned the win in relief of Boyer. Aycock worked two scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth.
First baseman Persy LLamas led Ole Miss at the plate with three hits in four at-bats.
Friday was Ole Miss’ first SEC win on the softball diamond in nearly a month (March 28).
The two teams will play the second of the three-game weekend series at 2 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will broadcast on the SEC Network+.