LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 5 Tennessee dropped its opening game of the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament on Wednesday, falling 4-1 to Ole Miss at John Cropp Stadium.
Tennessee (42-10) struck first in the bottom of the second inning when Elsa Morrison singled and later scored on a Bella Faw RBI single to right field, giving the Lady Vols an early 1-0 lead.
Ole Miss (34-23) answered in the fourth, capitalizing on a Tennessee error to plate two unearned runs and move in front, 2-1. The Rebels added two more runs in the fifth on a two-run single from Maddi George to extend the advantage to 4-1.
The Lady Vols threatened in several innings but stranded eight runners and were unable to generate another run against the Ole Miss pitching staff.
Sage Mardjetko earned the start in the circle, allowing two unearned runs on three hits over 3.2 innings. Karlyn Pickens entered in relief during the fourth inning and tossed the final 3.1 frames, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three and walking three.
Mardjetko suffered the loss and is 12-2 on the year.
Faw finished 1-for-2 with Tennessee’s lone RBI, while Ella Dodge, Morrison and Sophia Knight each added a hit.
Ole Miss starter Kyra Aycock earned the win after allowing one run over four innings before Emilee Boyer closed out the final three frames to record the save.
DUE UP
The Lady Vols now await their postseason path as the NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday night.
