Texas Tech Makes Historic Comeback to Beat Ole Miss in NCAA Softball Thriller
Texas Tech softball did the impossible against Ole Miss Saturday.
The Red Raiders were down to the final out of the game and faced an 8-0 deficit against the Rebels. But Gerry Glasco's squad proved why they are contenders for a national championship when they mustered eight runs in the seventh inning.
The climax of the comeback was highlighted by Lauren Allred's grand slam to tie the game. The third baseman and catcher, who signed with the Red Raiders in July 2024, walked fans through the wild seventh frame that kept Tech alive.
"So I actually led off the seventh inning. We're down by eight runs. I know that me personally in that first at-bat, I couldn't go wrong because I couldn't win the game in that one at-bat. So I was just trying to make sure that I get on for the team so we can put something together. Everybody else starting getting hits with two outs and I was like OK we got a rally going. We're playing for each other now. You can really see everybody coming together in the dugout. The energy was just electric at this point.
"And then I go back up [to bat] and the crowd is just cheering. I felt so calm and at peace during this at-bat. I just knew I had to get inside the ball and good things would happen."
TEXAS TECH TIES IT WITH A GRAND SLAM AFTER BEING DOWN 8-0 WITH ONLY ONE OUT TO GO! 😱 pic.twitter.com/AHcjdjOuHn
— ESPN (@espn) May 16, 2026
Tech forced extra innings with the teams tied at eight heading into the eighth inning as the Red Raiders were on the verge of dropping into the elimination bracket at the Lubbock Regional.
As if penned from a Hollywood script, Texas Tech completed its comeback against Ole Miss to take the extra-inning thriller with a final score of 10-9. Taylor Panell sealed the Rebels' fate with a walkoff sacrifice fly.
A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES IN LUBBOCK!
— ESPN (@espn) May 16, 2026
After being down 8-0 and down to its final out, Texas Tech rallies to force extras and then rallies again to win it! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TgviyCawKA
Texas Tech Softball Makes Insane History With 8-Run Comeback
The Red Raiders' comeback was historic. This century, teams were 0-640 when trailing by eight or more runs in an NCAA softball tournament game.
That record changed to 1-640 over the weekend.
Texas Tech became the first team this century to win an NCAA softball tournament matchup when trailing by eight or more runs.
The majority of the matchup was dominated by Ole Miss as the Rebels' offense lit up NiJaree Canady. Through four innings, the Rebels scored four runs on five hits. Meanwhile, Tech's lineup was stagnant generating zero runs and zero hits with four walks drawn and four strikeouts.
At this point, Glasco already has his postgame speech prepared as if Tech had lost the game. By the seventh inning, the Red Raiders head coach needed a new one.
The improbable comeback even had Glasco speechless when he spoke to reporters following the game.
"I'm just trying to stay calm," Glasco said. "And I'm thinking, if I'm a fan watching this, I probably don't think I care, but I was just trying to stay calm for my team because I knew they needed me to do that. So the way it felt, no way to describe it. It was the greatest."
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Valentina Martinez is an On SI writer. She has in depth knowledge of the college sports community and has covered professional sports extensively. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and covered Sun Devil Football, Men's Basketball, Baseball, Women's Volleyball and Softball.