The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, March 11
Bowling Green, Ky.
5 PM
Ole Miss
21-4
9
at
5
Western Kentucky
14-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Ole Miss
4
4
0
1
0
0
0
9
6
2
WKU
0
0
3
2
0
0
0
5
7
2
No. 16 Softball Builds Early Lead, Handles Western Kentucky
3/11/2025 | Softball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The No. 16 Ole Miss softball program built a commanding early lead and held on to down Western Kentucky, 9-5 on Tuesday evening at the WKU Softball Complex.
Lair Beautae recorded another big performance, tallying four RBI and two doubles, while Mackenzie Pickens added a home run for the Rebels (21-4, 2-1 SEC). Alison Cooper picked up her first win as a Rebel, throwing four innings and striking out one Hilltopper (14-9, 1-2 CUSA).
With the win, the Rebels now have the program's best record through the first 25 games since 2022.
Right out of the gate, the Rebels jumped on Western Kentucky starter Erica Hogue. Walks by Taylor Malvin and Beautae opened the inning, and after a fielder's choice and stolen base by Aliyah Binford, Persy Llamas drove in the game's opening run with a single through the right side.
After Lexie Brady drove in a run on a groundout, Pickens stepped up with Llamas on third. The freshman blasted a ball well out of the park to left center field to make it 4-0.
The lead only grew in the second inning, as Angelina DeLeon and Tenly Grisham singled and Malvin reached on an error to load the bases with no outs. Beautae stepped up to the plate and promptly cleared the bases with a three RBI double to make it 7-0. The Rebels added another run later in the frame on a Llamas groundout.
Now leading 8-0, the Rebels sought to close out the game. However, the Hilltoppers would not go quietly, striking for three runs in the third inning.
After Taylor Strain found herself at third base following an error, Beautae quickly got another run back with her second double of the game to make it 9-3 in the fourth.
While WKU was able to cut the lead to just four, Cooper settled the team down in the circle, going four innings and finished the game by retiring eight consecutive batters.
Ole Miss will now return home to host the Rebel Invitational from Thursday, Mar. 13 to Sunday, Mar. 16 at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium. The Rebels will face their first opponent in the event on Friday at 3:30 p.m., as they welcome North Dakota State.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
For all Ole Miss softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at @olemisssoftball. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Lair Beautae recorded another big performance, tallying four RBI and two doubles, while Mackenzie Pickens added a home run for the Rebels (21-4, 2-1 SEC). Alison Cooper picked up her first win as a Rebel, throwing four innings and striking out one Hilltopper (14-9, 1-2 CUSA).
With the win, the Rebels now have the program's best record through the first 25 games since 2022.
Right out of the gate, the Rebels jumped on Western Kentucky starter Erica Hogue. Walks by Taylor Malvin and Beautae opened the inning, and after a fielder's choice and stolen base by Aliyah Binford, Persy Llamas drove in the game's opening run with a single through the right side.
After Lexie Brady drove in a run on a groundout, Pickens stepped up with Llamas on third. The freshman blasted a ball well out of the park to left center field to make it 4-0.
The lead only grew in the second inning, as Angelina DeLeon and Tenly Grisham singled and Malvin reached on an error to load the bases with no outs. Beautae stepped up to the plate and promptly cleared the bases with a three RBI double to make it 7-0. The Rebels added another run later in the frame on a Llamas groundout.
Now leading 8-0, the Rebels sought to close out the game. However, the Hilltoppers would not go quietly, striking for three runs in the third inning.
After Taylor Strain found herself at third base following an error, Beautae quickly got another run back with her second double of the game to make it 9-3 in the fourth.
While WKU was able to cut the lead to just four, Cooper settled the team down in the circle, going four innings and finished the game by retiring eight consecutive batters.
Ole Miss will now return home to host the Rebel Invitational from Thursday, Mar. 13 to Sunday, Mar. 16 at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium. The Rebels will face their first opponent in the event on Friday at 3:30 p.m., as they welcome North Dakota State.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
For all Ole Miss softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at @olemisssoftball. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cooper, Alison (1-0)
L: HOUGE, Erica (4-6)
Batting:
2B: Beautae, Lair 2
HR: Pickens, Mackenzie 1
RBI: Beautae, Lair 4 ; Llamas, Persy 2 ; Brady, Lexie 1 ; Pickens, Mackenzie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Malvin, Taylor 2 ; Beautae, Lair 1 ; Binford, Aliyah 1 ; Llamas, Persy 1 ; Pickens, Mackenzie 1 ; DeLeon, Angelina 1 ; Grisham, Tenly 1 ; Strain, Taylor 1
SB: Binford, Aliyah 1
Batting:
HR: MASTERS, Maci 1
RBI: WHITE, Kendle 1 ; HERRON, Charlotte 1 ; WHITE, Annie 1 ; MASTERS, Maci 2
SH: SHARPE, Morgan 1
SF: HERRON, Charlotte 1 ; WHITE, Annie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: WHITE, Kendle 1 ; HERRON, Charlotte 1 ; MASTERS, Maci 1 ; DRINNON, Randi 1 ; KEMP, Kaytlan 1
SB: HERRON, Charlotte 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
3b/ss
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Softball
RHP/INF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballLHP/UT
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballWhy Not Us? - Lexie Brady and Aliyah Binford (Softball)
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Friday, May 30
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Friday, May 30