If you only watched the first two innings Saturday, you probably walked away thinking Ole Miss had wrapped up its weekend in Lafayette with a breezy, drama‑free win.
Five runs on the board, the offense humming, the Ragin’ Cajuns looking rattled; it felt like the Rebels were about to cruise into the drive home with a little swagger.
And then the rest of the game happened.
For the second straight matchup with Louisiana, Ole Miss jumped them early. Mackenzie Pickens worked a walk, Madi George did what Madi George does, hitting her fourth home run of the season, and suddenly it was 2‑0 before anyone had time to settle into their bleacher seat.
The next inning was even more on‑brand for this team: a little chaos, a little small‑ball, and a whole lot of pressure.
Kennedy Bunker manufactures her way around the bases, Grace Thompson slices a double down the line, Tenly Grisham drops a bunt single like she’s ordering breakfast, and Taylor Malvin caps it off with an RBI groundout. 5-0. Textbook.
But softball has a way of reminding you that momentum is a rental, not a purchase.
Louisiana didn’t panic. They chipped away with one run here, another there, that kind of slow bleed that doesn’t feel catastrophic until you look up and realize the lead you built is now hanging by a thread.
By the fifth inning, that 5‑0 cushion had shrunk to 5‑4. By the sixth, it was gone entirely.
Ole Miss had its moment to punch back in the seventh. Malvin singled, Pickens moved her over, and the door cracked open just enough to imagine a late answer.
But the Rebels couldn’t push anything across, and when you leave the door open in a place like Lafayette, the hosts don’t politely close it for you.
A three‑run walk‑off homer in the bottom of the seventh ended it — an 8‑5 loss that felt like the exact inverse of the start Ole Miss put together. Hot out of the gate, cold down the stretch, and another lesson in finishing games against quality opponents.
Now the Rebels head home at 6‑4, still very much a team with firepower but also one still figuring out how to hold a lead when the pressure tightens.
Miami comes to Oxford on Monday, and maybe a little home cooking is exactly what this group needs.
Because the blueprint is there.
