VALDOSTA, Ga. --- Freshman Carly Crawford went 7-for-9 with two home runs, nine RBI and two runs scored as the Mississippi College softball team split a doubleheader with #9 Valdosta State University on Saturday afternoon at Steel's Diamond.

After a near comeback win in an 8-7 loss in the first game, the Lady Choctaws (22-13, 13-7 GSC) outlasted the nationally-ranked Lady Blazers (28-10, 14-5 GSC) in 11 innings to grab a 10-9 victory in the nightcap.

With the victory in the second game, head coach Brooke O'Hair won her 300th career game, extending her advantage as the winningest coach in school history. Her first victory came back on February 20th, 2007 in a 4-1 win over William Carey.
 

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GAME ONE: Valdosta State 8, Mississippi College 7

HOW IT HAPPENED
- VSU jumped out to a big lead in the opening game, scoring a run on a bases-loaded walk in the first and putting up five more runs in the second inning to take a 6-0 advantage.
- They would add another run in the third and took their largest lead of the day at 7-0 through three frames.
- Crawford got the offense going in the fourth inning with a two-run home run to center field that cut the score to 7-2 as sophomore Makenzie Nieto came home to score on the big fly.
- After the Blazers added a run in the fourth, MC kept their comeback going in the fifth as RBI singles by sophomore Kristen Qualls and Nieto cut the lead tot 8-4
- MC trailed by the four runs going to the seventh inning and after singles by senior Haley Thompson, senior Tylan Buckley and Qualls, the lead was cut to 8-5 with one out and two runners on.
- Crawford singled home Buckley and pinch-runner Shelby Miller to make the score 8-7, but the rally was stopped and Valdosta held on for the win.

KEY STATS
- Crawford went 4-for-4 with the home run and four RBI in the opener, while Qualls was just behind with two hits and two RBI.
- In the loss, MC had six players tally multi-hit games, including the first six batters going 14-of-24 (.583) with all seven RBI and all seven runs scored.
- Sophomore Adrianna Morgan (3-4) took the loss for MC, giving up three hits and four earned runs over 1.1 innings.
- Freshman Marley Peagler came out of the bullpen and kept the Lady Choctaws in the game, holding the top GSC offense to six hits and three earned runs over 4.2 innings.
- Avery Lamb (12-2) got the complete-game win for VSU, giving up 15 hits and seven earned runs in the contest.
 

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GAME TWO: Mississippi College 10, Valdosta State 9 (11 Innings)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The second game was a wild affair that became MC's second 11-inning game of the season after falling 3-2 to Shorter on March 4th.
- After the Blazers jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a single run in the second, Buckley had the big blast with a grand slam to center field, giving the Lady Choctaws a 4-1 advantage.
- Valdosta would answer with a run in the fourth, but Crawford came up big again with a three-run blast to left field that gave MC their largest lead of the day at 7-2 after 4.5 innings.
- The Blazers would not lie down, however, as they scored two unearned runs in the fifth and tied the game with a two-out, two-run double in the sixth to make the score 7-7.
- After three straight scoreless frames, the Lady Choctaws grabbed the first lead in extra innings with Crawford singling home two runs in the 10th to make the score 9-7.
- Down to their last out, VSU came up big, as well, as Chelsea Canara singled home two runs in the 10th and sent the game to the 11th inning with the score 9-9.
- In the 11th, sophomore Alexia Harmon started the frame at second base and was bunted over to third on a sacrifice by senior Megan Everett.
- After a flyout and a walk, junior Katherine Lee legged out an infield single with two outs to score Harmon with the eventual game-winning run.
- Freshman Jordan Holifield finished the game by retiring the Blazers in order in the 11th.

KEY STATS
- Holifield (2-0) went all 11.0 innings in the circle for MC, scattering 14 hits and five earned runs with a strikeout and three walks.
- Crawford again led the MC offense, going 3-for-5 with a home run and a season-high five RBI.
- Lee finished the game 2-for-6 with two runs scored and the game-winning RBI, while Buckley had four RBI and two runs scored to go along with the grand slam.
- Kathryn Carter started in the circle for Valdosta, giving up eight hits and seven earned runs over 4.2 innings, while Kasie Johnson gave up just one hit and one earned run over 4.2 frames.
- Haley Fowler (0-1) took the loss for VSU, allowing one hit and one unearned run over 1.2 innings pitched.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Lady Choctaws and Blazers will wrap up the series on Sunday with a single game at 12:00 p.m. (CT) at Steel's Diamond.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.