CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team opened their home schedule with a doubleheader sweep of William Carey University on Thursday afternoon at the MC Softball Complex.

The Lady Choctaws (4-2) trailed in both contest but came back to get two victories over the Crusaders (0-2), who took three of four games from MC last season. MC won the opener in extra innings, 7-6, and picked up a 4-2 win in the night cap.

In the opener, freshman Cheyenne Mathews was the hero in extra innings, driving in freshman Alexia Harmon with a single after the Madison native was placed at second base to open the 8th inning.

The Lady Choctaws grabbed an early lead as freshman Kristen Qualls drove seniors Madison Oliver and Lauren Mulligan home with a single in the first inning. Freshman Shelby Miller drove in Harmon with a sacrifice fly and MC held a 3-0 lead after the first frame.

The Crusaders would score five straight runs and took a 5-3 advantage in the 5th inning.

Miller gave MC the lead back with her first career home run, a three-run shot to put the Lady Choctaws ahead 6-5. The Asheville, N.C. native led the Lady Choctaws with four RBI in the contest.

Kimberly Gilbert tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, setting up the extra-inning heroics from Mathews.

Sophomore Katherine Lee was forced to step into the circle in the first inning after senior Carlie Sargent suffered an injury following the first two outs of the game. She pitched 4.1 innings, scattering 10 hits with four earned runs allowed.

Freshman Penny Nichols (2-1) pitched the final three innings of the game to pick up her first career victory. She allowed just one hit, getting the final nine outs to clinch MC's victory.

The Orange City, Fla. native was the story of the second game as well, tossing her first career complete game to get the sweep-clinching win. She allowed just two earned runs over the 7.0 innings pitched, scattering nine hits.

MC opened the scoring for the second straight game as junior Tylan Buckley grounded out to drive in Oliver in the first inning.

The Crusaders again bounced back with two runs in the second inning, highlighted by a solo home run from Tiffay De Vore. Harli Crow singled home Taylor Brewer to take the lead mid-way through the second.

The lead would remain until the fourth when Buckley would come in to score, following a single by Qualls and an error by the Crusaders.

The eventual game-winning run would score on a wild pitch as freshman Makenzie Nieto raced home on a wild pitch. Harmon would single home Oliver to give Nichols insurance runs over the final two innings.

The Lady Choctaws will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Cleveland to face rival Delta State for a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m. The series finale will be on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.