MONTGOMERY, Ala. --- The Mississippi College softball team bounced back from a tough 9-4 extra-inning loss to #18 Valdosta State by getting a come-from-behind 5-3 win over Montevallo on Sunday afternoon at the GSC Opening Weekend Festival, held at Lagoon Park.

The Choctaws improved to 4-5 with a 1-2 mark in the Gulf South Conference.
 

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VALDOSTA STATE 9, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 4

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lady Choctaws jumped out to a lead with two runs in the third inning as freshman Kayla Murphy doubled home a run, and junior Kristen Qualls chased her home with a single.
- After the Blazers tied things up with two in the fourth, MC grabbed the lead right back as junior Alexia Harmon drove in junior Shelby Miller with a sacrifice fly.
- Qualls singled home freshman Jessica Aron in the fifth inning to give the Lady Choctaws a 4-2 advantage.
- The Blazers answered with a run in the sixth and then took advantage of an MC error in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
- After both teams were scoreless in the eighth, VSU exploded for five runs in the ninth to put the game away.

KEY STATS
- Murphy and Qualls each had a team-high three hits in the game, while Qualls drove in a pair of runs.
- Senior Kristen Gardner (0-3) took the loss for the Lady Choctaws, giving up the go-ahead run in the ninth.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 5, MONTEVALLO 3

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lady Choctaws fell behind in the third inning as the Falcons scored a run on an MC error, and Montevallo held a 1-0 lead after three frames.
- Junior Brianna Caldwell wasted no time getting the game squared up as she sent a deep shot over the center field wall to lead off the fourth.
- The Falcons pushed another run across in the fifth, but Qualls came up big as she led off the sixth with a solo shot to left field.
- In the seventh inning, the Lady Choctaws would grab the lead for good as sophomore Shayla McKissock drew a one-out walk, stole second and came home to score on a Montevallo error.
- Qualls stepped up again as she hit her second home run of the day and third of the season to make the score 5-2. It's the first time an MC player has hit two long balls in a game since Qualls did it on April 16, 2016 against UAH.
- The Falcons would score a run in the seventh, but a great defensive play by Qualls catching a runner trying to stretch a single to a double ended the threat.

KEY STATS
- Gardner (1-3) was outstanding in the second contest, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning before a pair of two-out singles gave Montevallo a 2-1 lead.
- She tossed a complete game, allowing just four hits with two strikeouts.
- Qualls and McKissock each ahd multiple hits, while Qualls drove in three runs in the contest.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Lady Choctaws will head to Carrollton, Ga. next weekend to face West Georgia in a three-game series beginning Saturday.
 

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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.