Ole Miss softball didn’t ease its way into the new season. It had to claw through two deficits, absorb two momentum swings, and lean on a lineup full of newcomers to escape Opening Day with a split.
But if Thursday night at the Easton Classic revealed anything, it’s that this team already knows how to fight back.
The Rebels dropped the opener 5-4, but the story of the night became the way they kept answering punches in both games, finally breaking through with an 11-9 comeback win in the nightcap.
Game One
Ole Miss opened its season with all the signs of a clean start. Bases loaded in the first inning. A two‑run single from freshman Cassie Reasner in her debut. A 2-0 lead that looked like the beginning of a comfortable night.
But the opener turned into a test of resilience instead. Cal State Fullerton chipped away in the third, surged ahead in the fourth, and answered every Rebel push with one of their own.
Give the Rebs another RUN 👏
Ole Miss: 4 | Cal State Fullerton: 5 #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/EfE7ARiAsB
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) February 6, 2026
Even when Ole Miss tied the game 3-3 in the fifth on a Kennedy Bunker sacrifice fly, the Titans immediately countered with a two‑run homer.
The Rebels kept swinging. Taylor Malvin’s RBI single cut the deficit to one. Emilee Boyer struck out the side in the seventh to give the offense one last chance. Singles from Bunker and freshman Madi George put the tying run in scoring position.
But the final swing never came. Ole Miss stranded the runners, falling 5-4.
Game Two
If the opener showed the Rebels could rally, the second game proved they could finish the rally.
Ole Miss jumped ahead 2-0 in the first, only to watch Fullerton rip off five unanswered runs. Down 5-2, staring at another early‑season stumble, the Rebels’ newcomers took over.
A Mackenzie Pickens walk. A Persy Llamas double. A two‑run rope from George. A sacrifice fly from Reasner. Suddenly it was 5-5, and the Rebels had life again.
A 3⃣-RUN 3RD INNING FOR THE REBS!
Ole Miss: 5 | Cal State Fullerton: 5@CassieReasner x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/xL9uQYAZx0
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) February 6, 2026
Fullerton briefly reclaimed the lead with a solo homer, but Ole Miss kept coming. A throwing error tied it 6-6. Kyra Aycock delivered a clean fourth inning. And then Reasner, who was already having a debut to remember, launched her first Ole Miss home run to put the Rebels ahead 7-6.
The knockout blow came an inning later. Pickens and Bunker went back‑to‑back with home runs, turning a tight game into a 9-7 lead. Llamas and George followed with singles, and Reasner added yet another RBI on a sac fly. Grace Thompson capped the six‑run frame with an RBI single.
Back-to-Back Jacks 🔨@Kbunks17 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/OR8QVy25Zp
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) February 6, 2026
Fullerton tried to rally late, but Aycock slammed the door in the seventh, securing the 11-9 win and the Rebels’ first victory of 2026
The Rebels will be right back in action on Friday, facing off against CSUN at 1 p.m. and Boise State at 5 p.m. on day two of the Easton Classic.
