Ole Miss pitcher Lilly Whitten throws a pitch against LSU in a SEC game in Baton Rouge. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss Comes Up One Play Short in Baton Rouge

BY Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss has played enough tight games this season to know exactly what a real chance looks like. And in the seventh inning in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, the Rebels had one.

The tying run stood at third. The go‑ahead run was on first. LSU looked rattled. The crowd tightened up. Everything you want in a late‑inning push was sitting right there.

They just couldn’t finish it.

The 7-6 loss at No. 15 LSU will be remembered for Mackenzie Pickens doing everything short of driving the bus home. A homer in the first. A two‑run double in the second. A defensive play that kept the game from slipping further. She gave Ole Miss a chance all night.

And the Rebels kept giving themselves chances too.

They jumped ahead 1-0. They answered LSU’s early punch with a three‑run second to go up 4-2. They tied the game again in the sixth on a sharp single from Kennedy Bunker. They kept showing up in the moments that usually decide games.

But LSU kept answering. One run in the second. One in the third. Two more in the fourth. Then the bases‑loaded walk in the sixth that nudged the Tigers back in front for good. It wasn’t a clean game on either side, but LSU found one more push than Ole Miss did.

And still, the Rebels had the inning they wanted.

Madi George walked to start the seventh, and Tenly Grisham came in to run. A bunt moved her to second. A passed ball moved her to third.

Suddenly the tying run was 60 feet away with one out. Exactly the situation you draw up.

Then came the moment that will stick with this team for a while. Taylor Roman popped up too shallow to score the run. Laylonna Applin got hit by a pitch to keep the inning alive.

Then Ryan Starr nearly got hit as well, and for a split second it looked like Ole Miss was about to load the bases with one out. Instead, the umpire ruled she was over the plate. No free base. No bases loaded. No extra pressure on LSU.

From there, the rally faded. The tying run stayed at third. The winning run never got the chance to matter.

It’s another one‑run loss in a season full of them, and this one stings because the Rebels had the exact scenario they wanted in the final inning. They were one swing, one call, one deep fly ball away from flipping the whole night.

They’ll try again Sunday at 1 p.m., looking to leave Baton Rouge with something to show for how close they’ve been.

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