OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 21 Ole Miss softball program earned a walk-off, 4-3 victory over Miami, thanks to a walk-off double by Persy Llamas on Monday afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium.
Llamas drove home the winning run for the Rebels (7-4, 0-0 SEC) in the bottom of the seventh inning on a double to right center field. The Rebels recovered from a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning to upend the RedHawks (5-3, 0-0 MAC).
After a scoreless first inning, the Rebels quickly jumped to an early lead. Singles from Madi George and Cassie Reasner got things started, before Rachel Connors delivered with a two RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
However, the Rebel lead was short lived, as the RedHawks hit a two-run home run in the third inning. Nevertheless, Emilee Boyer shined in the circle for the Rebels, allowing just three hits over four innings to keep the game deadlocked.
The Rebels nearly struck for a run in the fourth inning as Connors singled and Laylonna Applin doubled, but both were stranded on the base paths. Despite that, Connors and Applin combined for five hits on the day to power the Rebel offense.
Miami jumped in front in the sixth inning with a solo home run, but the Rebels quickly had an answer in the bottom half of the frame. A leadoff double by Madi George set the tone and her pinch runner, Izzy Rettiger advanced to third on a wild pitch. Grace Thompson was able to cash in on the tying run with a well-placed RBI groundout to first base to make it 3-3.
Kyra Aycock delivered in the circle with a scoreless seventh inning to set up an opportunity for the Rebels to win it in the bottom half of the frame. Taylor Malvin got things started by reaching on an error and after Mackenzie Pickens reached on a fielder’s choice, Llamas stepped up to deliver the big hit and win the game, 4-3.