Persy Llamas
Ole Miss will meet the team that came back from eight runs down to beat it. The Rebels staved off elimination with a late Saturday night 9-4 victory over Boston University to advance to the title round of the Lubbock Regional to face host Texas Tech.
Ole Miss improved to 36-25, while Boston U. ended it season at 47-15.
Texas Tech trailed Ole Miss 8-0 going into its last at-bat earlier Saturday but scored eight runs to tie it and win the game 10-9 in extra innings. The Rebels and Red Raiders will play on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. Sunday. If necessary, game two would follow approximately 30 minutes afterwards.
OLE MISS 9, BOSTON U. 4 BOX SCORE | https://www.ncaa.com/game/6599856/boxscore
Ole Miss took an early 2-0 lead over Boston U. in the top of the first when Persy Llamas singled and freshman slugger Madi George followed with a two-run bomb over the center field wall. The Terrier, however, would erase that lead with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame.
The Rebels turned to the long ball again in the top of the third when Llamas delivered a two-run homer to deep left field and Laylonna Applin registered an RBI-single to push Ole Miss in front 5-2.
Not to be outdone, BU scored twice in the bottom of the third to cut the Rebel lead to 5-4, knocking Ole Miss starter Lilly Whitten out of the game. Whitten’s final line read four runs (three earned) on three hits, four walks and four strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work. With the bases loaded, Ole Miss reliever Kya Aycock came in a struck out the two batters she faced in the frame to end the threat.
The Rebels created some separation in the top of the fifth. First, Taylor Malvin picked up a bases-loaded RBI with a fielder’s choice. That brought leadoff hitter Kennedy Bunker to the plate, who proceeded to drill one deep into the night with two teammates on the pond for a three-run homer to give Ole Miss a 9-4 lead heading into the bottom of the frame.
Aycock threw just eight pitches in the bottom of the fifth to retire the Terriers 1-2-3.
Ole Miss loaded the bases but failed to score in the top of the sixth as third baseman Ryan Starr barely missed a grand slam as her big pop-fly was caught at the center field wall for the inning’s third out.
Aycock ran into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth, as she walked the bases loaded with just one out. At that point Ole Miss decided to make a pitching change, bringing in Emilee Boyer. Boyer immediately induced an unassisted line drive double play to third baseman Starr, who caught the ball and applied the tag to the runner at third to end the inning.
The final line on Ayccok read three innings of work, no runs, two hits, three walks and three strikouts.
The Rebels were retired in order in the top of the seventh. Boyer returned the favor to the Terriers in the bottom half of the inning to end the game.