Some wins are clean. Some wins are chaotic. And then there are nights like Friday, where Ole Miss didn’t so much win a certain way as it simply refused to lose.
For a team sitting on just two SEC wins heading into the weekend, that’s really the whole point. A win is a win. Style points aren’t part of the standings.
Ole Miss went to Auburn, watched a two run lead disappear in the seventh, and still walked out with a 6-2 extra inning victory. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t smooth. But it was exactly the kind of game this team needed to take.
For most of the night, it looked like Emilee Boyer was going to carry the Rebels by herself. She had a no hitter going into the sixth and kept Auburn guessing with soft contact and quick innings.
Laylonna Applin finally broke the scoreless stretch with a solo shot in the fifth, and Persy Llamas kept her big day rolling with a single that set up Rachel Connors’ RBI in the sixth. At 2-0, Ole Miss felt in control.
AND NOW A HOMER 🤯
Ole Miss 1 | Auburn 0 @laylonna_25 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/VV2WLygdkP
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) April 25, 2026
Then the seventh inning happened. A single, a homer, and suddenly the game was tied.
Boyer’s gem was gone, the momentum flipped, and Ole Miss had to decide whether this was going to be another late inning SEC loss or something different.
To their credit, they chose different.
Kyra Aycock came in with the tying run already across and the go ahead run standing on second. She didn’t panic. Three outs later, the Rebels were out of the inning and headed to extras.
And that’s where Mackenzie Pickens stepped in and changed the whole night. First pitch of the eighth, she jumped on one and sent it out to left center. No drama, no hesitation, just a clean swing that put Ole Miss back in front.
MACKENZIE 🤯 PICKENS 🤯
She homers in the top of the eighth to put the Rebs back in front!
Ole Miss 3 | Auburn 2@kenziepickens x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/eKuW04DWGV
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) April 25, 2026
From there, the Rebels finally exhaled. Llamas collected her third hit. Connors added another. Applin drew a walk. Grace Thompson worked a bases loaded walk. Auburn threw the ball around and two more runs scored. Suddenly it was 6-2, and Aycock made sure it stayed that way.
Was it pretty? Not really. Was it needed? Absolutely.
Ole Miss hasn’t had many nights this season where things broke its way. Friday did. They got strong pitching, timely hitting, a clutch homer, and a little help from Auburn’s defense.
For a team trying to claw its way to the finish line, that’s enough.
Game 2 is this afternoon at 2. The Rebels will take whatever they can get, however they can get it.
