Photo by: Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 13 Texas A&M Holds Off Ole Miss Rally to Claim Series, 7-5
Apr 11, 2026 | Softball
OXFORD – The No. 13 Texas A&M softball team claimed the series at Ole Miss with a 7-5 win Saturday at Ole Miss Softball Stadium.
Texas A&M (29-12, 10-4 SEC) jumped out to an early lead and held off a late Ole Miss (26-17, 2-12 SEC) rally. Catcher Ariel Kowalewski sealed the win by picking off a runner at second base for the final out.
Kelsey Mathis paced the offense with a career-high five RBI and her fourth home run of the season. Kennedy Powell scored twice, while Tallen Edwards and Kowalewski each drove in a run. Taylor Pannell earned her first win of the season, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. Sydney Lessentine recorded the save, closing out the final 2.0 innings.
Powell sparked the Aggies early with a triple down the right field line and scored on a sacrifice fly by Edwards to give A&M a 1-0 lead.
Ole Miss answered in the second with a solo home run to even the score.
The Aggies responded in the third. Powell led off with an infield single, Micaela Wark drew a walk and Kowalewski delivered a two-out RBI single. Mathis followed with a three-run home run to left center, extending the lead to 5-1. Ole Miss added a leadoff home run in the bottom half, but Sidne Peters limited the damage, stranding three runners with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.
Ole Miss mounted a two-out rally in the fourth, scoring on a double and a two-run home run to tie the game at five.
A&M regained control in the fifth, drawing three consecutive walks to open the frame. Mathis reached on a bouncer that crossed the shortstop and allowed pinch runners Hailey Golden and Annsley Groce to score, putting the Aggies ahead 7-5.
Lessentine entered in the sixth and retired the Rebels in order. In the seventh, Ole Miss brought the tying run to the plate after a single and a walk, but Lessentine induced a groundout before Kowalewski picked off a runner at second to end the game.
UP NEXT
The series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (play-by-play) and Carly Hummel (analyst) in the booth. Fans can also listen on the 12th Man Mobile app or locally on Willy 1550 AM, with Matt Simon calling the action in his 12th season as the voice of Texas A&M softball.
NOTES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M softball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M softball team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X by following @AggieSoftball.
Texas A&M (29-12, 10-4 SEC) jumped out to an early lead and held off a late Ole Miss (26-17, 2-12 SEC) rally. Catcher Ariel Kowalewski sealed the win by picking off a runner at second base for the final out.
Kelsey Mathis paced the offense with a career-high five RBI and her fourth home run of the season. Kennedy Powell scored twice, while Tallen Edwards and Kowalewski each drove in a run. Taylor Pannell earned her first win of the season, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. Sydney Lessentine recorded the save, closing out the final 2.0 innings.
Powell sparked the Aggies early with a triple down the right field line and scored on a sacrifice fly by Edwards to give A&M a 1-0 lead.
Ole Miss answered in the second with a solo home run to even the score.
The Aggies responded in the third. Powell led off with an infield single, Micaela Wark drew a walk and Kowalewski delivered a two-out RBI single. Mathis followed with a three-run home run to left center, extending the lead to 5-1. Ole Miss added a leadoff home run in the bottom half, but Sidne Peters limited the damage, stranding three runners with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.
Ole Miss mounted a two-out rally in the fourth, scoring on a double and a two-run home run to tie the game at five.
A&M regained control in the fifth, drawing three consecutive walks to open the frame. Mathis reached on a bouncer that crossed the shortstop and allowed pinch runners Hailey Golden and Annsley Groce to score, putting the Aggies ahead 7-5.
Lessentine entered in the sixth and retired the Rebels in order. In the seventh, Ole Miss brought the tying run to the plate after a single and a walk, but Lessentine induced a groundout before Kowalewski picked off a runner at second to end the game.
UP NEXT
The series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (play-by-play) and Carly Hummel (analyst) in the booth. Fans can also listen on the 12th Man Mobile app or locally on Willy 1550 AM, with Matt Simon calling the action in his 12th season as the voice of Texas A&M softball.
NOTES
- Mya Perez extended her on-base streak to 44 games with walks in the first and fifth innings. It marked her sixth SEC game with multiple walks, and her 22 walks in conference play lead the league.
- Kelsey Mathis set a career high with five RBI. She hit her fourth home run of the season and first in SEC play and also stole her first base of the year.
- Kennedy Powell scored two runs, marking her 16th multi-run game of the season. Texas A&M is 13-3 when she scores multiple runs. She recorded her second multi-hit game of the series, going 2-for-4 with a triple.
- Ariel Kowalewski extended her hitting streak to a season-best eight games with an RBI single in the third.
- Micaela Wark drew a season-high three walks, matching her career high set in 2024.
- Texas A&M has homered in 32 of 41 games this season, including 10 of 14 SEC contests.
- The Aggies turned their 10th double play of the season in the fifth inning when KK Dement caught a line drive and doubled off the runner at first.
- The Maroon & White have won 11 of 15 road SEC series under head coach Trisha Ford.
- Texas A&M improved to 23-5 all-time against Ole Miss, including a 9-2 record in Oxford. The Aggies have won all four series trips to Oxford since joining the SEC.
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M softball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M softball team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X by following @AggieSoftball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pannell, Taylor (1-1)
L: Boyer (9-8)
S: Lessentine, Sydney (2)

Batting:
3B: Powell, Kennedy 1
HR: Mathis, Kelsey 1
RBI: Edwards, Tallen 1 ; Kowalewski, Ariel 1 ; Mathis, Kelsey 5
SF: Edwards, Tallen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Powell, Kennedy 2 ; Golden, Hailey 1 ; Wark, Micaela 1 ; Groce, Annsley 1 ; Kowalewski, Ariel 1 ; Mathis, Kelsey 1
SB: Mathis, Kelsey 1

Batting:
2B: Pickens 1
HR: Bunker 1 ; Llamas 1 ; Reasner 1
RBI: Bunker 1 ; Pickens 1 ; Llamas 2 ; Reasner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bunker 1 ; Pickens 1 ; Llamas 1 ; Reasner 1 ; Starr 1
HBP: Bunker 1
PO: Rettiger 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Highlights: A&M 7, Ole Miss 5
Saturday, April 11
Highlights: A&M 10, Ole Miss 6
Friday, April 10
McNeese Postgame: Trisha Ford, Kelsey Mathis, Sidne Peters
Wednesday, April 08
Highlights: A&M 11, McNeese 1
Wednesday, April 08
























