Ole Miss jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the final game of the Rajin’ Cajun Invitational on Saturday in Lafayette, La., before host Louisiana-Lafayette battled back to win the game, 8-5, with one swing of the bat.
ULL third baseman Brooke Otto delivered a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to lift the home team to a come-from-behind victory. Freshman pitcher Payton Kennedy (0-1) took the loss in the circle for the Rebels.
The loss dropped Ole Miss to 6-4 on the young season.
BOX SCORE: OM 5, UL 8 – Final
Ole Miss returns to the diamond on Monday for its first home game of the season. The Rebels host Miami (Ohio) at 1 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
Kennedy allowed three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief.
Madi George got the scoring started for the Rebels when she blasted a two-run homer down the right field line in the top of the first inning. Grace Thompson ripped a run-scoring double in the top of the second and the Rebels led 3-0. The Rebels would go on to add two more unearned runs in the frame and led 5-0 after two innings.
That’s when the Ragin’ Cajuns started to whittle away at the lead with two runs in the third and one each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to set the state for Otto’s seventh-inning heroics.
No Rebel finished with more than one hit in the contest.
Lilly Whitten, who threw a no-hitter on Friday, drew the start in the circle for Ole Miss. Whitten worked four innings allowing three runs on five hits. Kyra Aycock tossed one inning of middle relief before giving way to Kennedy.