Ole Miss assistant coach Bobby Buchanan talks with Taylor Malvin during a SEC game against No. 4 Oklahoma. | Ole Miss Athletics
Ole Miss assistant coach Bobby Buchanan talks with Taylor Malvin during a SEC game against No. 4 Oklahoma. | Ole Miss Athletics

A Grand Slam, a Collapse, and Another SEC Loss for Ole Miss

BY Taylor Hodges

After eight straight SEC losses, some of them lopsided, Ole Miss finally had the kind of night that makes you sit up a little straighter.

For five innings, the Rebels went punch for punch with No. 4 Oklahoma and looked like a team ready to steal the win they’ve been chasing for weeks.

They led late. They had the crowd buzzing. They had the Sooners uncomfortable. And then, in one swing, it all unraveled, culminating in a 5-2 loss for Ole Miss.

That’s the part that stings. This wasn’t another game where Ole Miss was out of it early. This was the closest they’ve come to breaking through in SEC play, and for most of the night, they looked like the team more willing to scrap for it.

Kyra Aycock gave them every chance. She opened the game with two strikeouts, worked around an error, and kept Oklahoma guessing all evening. Seven strikeouts, a complete game, and the kind of presence in the circle that should have been enough to finally get that first SEC win.

And for a while, it looked like it would be.

Ole Miss manufactured two runs in the second inning, taking advantage of an Oklahoma error and getting a clutch RBI single from Taylor Malvin. It wasn’t flashy, but it was the kind of inning this team has been searching for. They held that 2-0 lead into the fourth, then into the fifth, and even as Oklahoma chipped away, the Rebels kept answering with clean defense and timely pitching.

But when you’re trying to snap a losing streak, the margin for error is thin. Too thin against a team like Oklahoma. Two singles and an error opened the door in the sixth, and the Sooners didn’t waste it.

A pinch-hit grand slam flipped the game in an instant and left Ole Miss staring at another SEC loss that felt nothing like the others.

Even then, the Rebels didn’t fold. They loaded the bases in the bottom half with one out, putting real pressure on Oklahoma again. But the big swing never came, and two strikeouts later, the chance was gone.

This one will linger a bit. Not because Ole Miss got blown out, but because they didn’t. Because they were right there. Because after eight SEC losses, this was the night they looked ready to break through.

Instead, they’re still searching for that first conference win, and now they have to regroup quickly with UAB coming to town Wednesday.

The effort was there. The fight was there. The result just wasn’t.

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