ARKADELPHIA, Ark. --- The Mississippi College softball team opened the 2016 season with a 7-4 win over Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon at the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational, hosted by Ouachita Baptist University.

The Lady Choctaws (1-1) appeared on their way to a sweep of the first day, but OBU scored five runs in the final two innings to pick up a come-from-behind win (5-4) in the second game.

In the opener, the Boll Weevils (0-2) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Holly Wilmarth hit a two-run home run. Wilmarth finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in the game.

Freshman Kristen Qualls (Madison, Miss.) gave MC their first run of the season in the top of the second inning as she led off with a home run in her first collegiate at-bat.

Senior Madison Oliver (Ragland, Ala.) gave the Lady Choctaws a lead they would not relinquish with a two-out grand slam, putting MC ahead 5-1 in the second.

UAM would chip away at the lead with solo home runs by Wilmart in the third and Katie Koen in the fourth. The score would stand at 5-4 heading to the fifth inninig.

The Lady Choctaws would load the bases with two outs in the fifth, and freshman Alexia Harmon (Madison, Miss.) drove in her first career run with a two-out hit-by-pitch to score junior Megan Everett (Pearland, Texas).

The Boll Weevils would get runners to third base in the 5th and 6th innings, but senior Carlie Sargent (Oxford, Ala.) kept the lead at 6-4 going to the final frame.

Junior Tylan Buckley (Philadelphia, Miss.) gave MC an insurance run in the seventh with a two-out solo home run, extending the advantage to 7-4.

Sargent, who struck out eight batters in the complete game win, pitched around a two-out single to get the season-opening victory.

In the second game, the Lady Choctaws would jump out to a 4-0 lead, thanks to an RBI single in the fourth and two-run double in the fifth by freshman Shelby Miller (Asheville, N.C.).

The Tigers (2-0) jumped back in the game with three unearned runs in the sixth, sending the game to the final inning with MC leading, 4-3.

Freshman Penny Nichols (Orange City, Fla.) was able to get the first two outs of the seventh, but Emily Acuna drove in two runs with a single to give OBU the walk-off win.

Harmon led the MC offense with four hits on the day, while Oliver had a team-high four RBI, followed by Miller (3) and Qualls (2) with multiple runs driven in.

The Lady Choctaws will be back in action on Sunday when they play Harding (12:00 pm) and Ouachita Baptist (3:00 pm) to close out the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational.