Ole Miss Finally Gets Over the Hump With Win at No. 4 Tennessee

Ole Miss has been waiting for a night like this.

A night where the pitching holds firm, the timely swings land, and the Rebels walk off the field with their first SEC win of the season against one of the best teams in the country.

That is exactly what happened Friday in Knoxville, where Ole Miss opened the series with a 2-1 win over No. 4 Tennessee.

It started with a jolt. Kennedy Bunker stepped in to lead off the game and sent the first real swing of the night over the wall.

One pitch, one run, and a reminder that Ole Miss still has some punch. It was the 100th RBI of her career and the first time in two years the Rebels opened a game with a home run.

A LEADOFF HOMER FOR KB 🤯@Kbunks17 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/pz4AqblUKu

— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) March 27, 2026

Not a bad way to set the tone.

From there, it was the Emilee Boyer show.

The senior didn’t overpower Tennessee, but she didn’t need to. She mixed speeds, trusted her defense and kept the Lady Vols guessing for seven steady innings. Three hits. Three strikeouts. Thirteen groundouts. A whole lot of calm in a place where visiting pitchers rarely get to breathe.

Emilee Boyer, everyone 👏@emileeboyer_ x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/fVxfl2fKV1

— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) March 28, 2026

Her biggest moment came in the third inning when Tennessee loaded the bases and tied the game with a walk. Lesser outings can unravel right there. Boyer didn’t blink. She came right back with a strikeout to end the threat and walked off the field with the game still even.

That poise carried her through the middle innings while Tennessee starter Sage Mardjetko settled in on the other side.

Ole Miss needed one more spark, and it arrived in the sixth. Persy Llamas singled, Izzy Rettiger came in to run, and a Tennessee error turned a routine play into a first to third sprint. One wild pitch later, Rettiger was sliding home with the go‑ahead run.

From that point on, it was all about finishing. Boyer worked around a single in the sixth and stranded another runner in scoring position. In the seventh she handled a walk and an error, then locked down the final outs with a strikeout and a fly ball that settled into a glove and sealed the win.

For a team that has taken its share of punches in SEC play, this one mattered. It was Ole Miss’ first win in Knoxville since 2008 and a reminder that the Rebels can go toe to toe with anyone when the pitching and defense line up.

Game two comes quickly with a Saturday first pitch at 1 p.m. on SECN+.

But for at least one night, Ole Miss gets to enjoy a win it has been chasing for weeks.