Ole Miss didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard on Tuesday night, but they didn’t need to.
Not when Emilee Boyer was in full command mode and the defense played one of its cleanest games of the season.
The Rebels moved on at the SEC Tournament with a 2-0 win over No. 23 South Carolina, and they did it by leaning on the things that have usually kept them afloat when the bats go quiet.
Had each other's backs 🤝 @SEC x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/dq9tWA9sx1
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 6, 2026
The tone was set early.
Persy Llamas jumped a pitch in the first inning and sent it out to left, giving Ole Miss a quick lead and taking a little pressure off everyone else. From there, the offense mostly settled into a quiet rhythm, but Boyer made sure that one run felt bigger than it probably should have.
She scattered four hits, walked one, struck out six, and never looked rattled. South Carolina got a runner into scoring position in the first inning, and Boyer calmly induced soft contact to end it. She got two strikeouts in the second. She got a diving catch from Tenly Grisham in the third. She cruised through the fourth. It was the kind of outing where every inning looked the same in the best possible way.
PERSY LLAMAS 🤯#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/oCJeV5dtmZ
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 5, 2026
Ole Miss finally added a little breathing room in the fifth when Grisham beat out an infield single and Taylor Malvin doubled her home with two outs.
That was it for the offense, but it was more than enough. Boyer retired 10 straight at one point, handled the sixth without trouble, and closed the seventh with a foul out, a lineout, and a strikeout to finish the job.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly the kind of postseason win Ole Miss needed. Pitching. Defense. Just enough offense. And most importantly, another opening‑round win to keep the week alive.
Next up is a tall task against No. 5 Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon. First-pitch is at approximately 4 p.m.
If the Rebels can bottle the way they pitched and defended in this one, they’ll give themselves a chance.
