In one of the wildest softball games one could ever watch, Ole Miss blew the largest lead ever Saturday in an NCAA Tournament game losing 10-9 to Texas Tech in a winner’s bracket game at Lubbock, Texas. Ole Miss led the game 8-0 going into the bottom of the seventh.
No team had ever come back after trailing by eight runs in the NCAA Tournament.
BOX SCORE | https://www.ncaa.com/game/6599854/boxscore
Trailing 8-0, Texas Tech scored a game-tying eight runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Rebels recaptured the lead 9-8 on an RBI-single by Persy Llamas in the top of the eighth before Texas Tech responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to capture the victory.
Ole Miss (35-25) will face either Marist or Boston University later Saturday night in an elimination game. Texas Tech advances to Sunday’s Regional final.
For six innings, with her offense in stride, Ole Miss pitcher Emilee Boyer was near perfect, shutting out the nation’s third best offense. Texas Tech had managed just two hits off of Boyer through the first six innings.
But in the near 100-degree climate, Boyer was withered in the seventh when the Red Raiders exploded for eight runs. She was relieved with two outs in the inning by Kyra Aycock who threw two pitches before recording the final out, but the game was tied 8-8.
Llamas put the Rebels back on top with a base hit in the top of the eighth, scoring pinch-runner Izzy Rettiger from second base.
Aycock started in the circle for the Rebels in the bottom of the eighth but was replaced by Lilly Whitten later in the inning.
Boyer’s final line is a misnomer. Sans the seventh inning, she actually put forth one of the best pitching performances in Ole Miss history considering her opponent. Her final line read 6.2 innings pitched, eight runs on nine hits, five strike outs and seven walks. Most of the damage came in the seventh.
She was masterful until then.
Ole Miss came out swinging, as leadoff hitter Kennedy Bunker put the Rebels ahead 1-0 with a solo home run in the top of the first.
The Rebels extended their lead in the fourth when head coach Jamie Trachsel called on Rachel Conners to pinch-hit for third baseman Ryan Starr. Conners proceeded to blast a three-run home run deep over the left field wall to extend the Rebels’ lead to 4-0.
Ole Miss then seemingly put the exclamation point on a would-be victory with a four-run top of the seventh to move ahead 8-0. McKenzie Pickens blasted a solo home run and Ryan Starr ripped a two-run double to highlight the inning and put the Red Raiders in an 8-0 hole.
But it was not to be.
Ole Miss will play for their NCAA Tournament lives later tonight against the winner of the Boston University/Marist game.