Big 5th Inning Propels No. 17 Ole Miss Softball to NCAA Regional Win Over No. 23 Grand Canyon

TUCSON, Ariz. – (Release) The No. 17 Ole Miss softball team exploded for five runs in the fifth inning to rally and defeat No. 23 Grand Canyon, 7-4, and advance to the winner’s bracket in the NCAA Tucson Regional.

Aliyah Binford went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Ashton Lansdell launched a home run and delivered stellar defense to power the Rebels (38-17, 11-13 SEC) past Grand Canyon (46-7, 21-2 WAC) to victory.

The Rebels earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 2023 and improve to 7-2 all-time in NCAA Regional opening games.

The Rebels were held scoreless though the first four frames as the Lopes mounted a 3-0 lead, looking to extend the nation’s longest-active win streak at 23 games. However, Lansdell sparked the comeback with a leadoff homer in the fifth.

Following some timely hitting from Angelina DeLeon and Jaden Pone, Lair Beautae delivered an RBI single to make it 3-2. After a steal by Addison Duke, the Rebels used strong baserunning to pounce on a wild pitch and tie the game at 3-3.

Binford was next to the plate and delivered the go-ahead hit, placing a single through the left side for a 4-3 advantage. Lexie Brady took over from there, driving in Binford with an RBI double off the right field wall to make it 5-3.

GCU threatened with two on and nobody out in the sixth and cut one from the Rebel lead, but Brianna Lopez limited the damage with an inning-ending strikeout. Lopez finished the day after going 6.1 innings, allowing just three earned runs and striking out three to secure her fourth consecutive 100-strikeout season.

Nevertheless, Binford got it right back and more with a two-RBI single in the bottom half of the frame. Binford was set up by hits from DeLeon and Taylor Malvin, who each tallied two-hit days.

The Lopes had one last chance with a runner on third and one away in the seventh. Lansdell stepped up to deliver her second, game-changing play, as she made a spectacular diving catch and touched third upon landing for a game-ending double play.

The Rebels will take on host and national No. 13 seed Arizona on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN.