Pickens’ Eighth-Inning Home Run Lifts Ole Miss Softball Past Auburn

Ole Miss softball edged Auburn 6-2 Friday night at Jane B. Moore Field, thanks to a go-ahead home run by Mackenzie Pickens in the eighth inning, according to the university’s athletics department.

The Rebels, who improved to 29-21 overall and 3-16 in Southeastern Conference play, faced a rally from the Tigers, who tied the game in the seventh inning. Pickens’s homer put Ole Miss ahead for good and ignited a four-run eighth inning.

Starting pitchers Emilee Boyer of Ole Miss and Ella Harrison of Auburn each pitched well through four scoreless innings. Boyer carried a no-hitter through five innings with two strikeouts before the Tigers finally broke through with a single in the sixth. The Rebels responded with two runs in the fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by a home run from Laylonna Applin and a single from Rachel Connors.

Auburn responded in the seventh, tying the game at 2-2 with a home run and a single. Kyra Aycock relieved Boyer and shut down the Tigers in the eighth, setting the stage for Pickens’s decisive blast. The Rebels then added three more runs, including two on an Auburn error, to seal the victory.

Ole Miss will face Auburn again Saturday at 2 p.m. Central Time in the second game of their series, which will be streamed on SEC Network Plus. The team is seeking its first SEC win of the season after facing tough competition in recent weeks.

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