HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --- The Mississippi College softball team got their offense going late on Friday afternoon, earning a two-game split at the Charger Chillout 2.0 at the Huntsville Metro-Kiwanis Sportsplex.

The Lady Choctaws (3-3) tallied a season-high 16 hits on their way to a 9-5 come-from-behind victory over Henderson State (4-3). MC opened the day with a 4-3 loss to McKendree (1-1).
 

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MCKENDREE 4, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 3

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Bearcats got the scoring going in the first inning, as Brooke Gajewski doubled home a run with two outs, scoring an unearned run to take a 1-0 lead.
- The Lady Choctaws responded in the top of the second when senior Katherine Lee drove in junior Alexia Harmon with a groundout to second base.
- McKendree came right back in the second with an RBI single, but Harmon's RBI fielder's choice in the third scored junior Kristen Qualls and tied the game, 2-2.
- MC would take their first lead of the contest in the fourth inning as freshman Jessica Aron scored an unearned run when the Bearcats made an error on a ground ball from freshman Kayla Murphy.
- The Bearcats responded in their half of the fourth inning, scoring twice to take a 4-3 lead.
- The Lady Choctaws would put runner in scoring position in the 6th and 7th innings but came up empty as McKendree held on for the win.

KEY STATS
- The Lady Choctaws struggled to get runners across the plate, going 1-for-23 with any runner on and 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
- Aron and junior Shelby Miller each tallied a team-high two hits.
- Freshman Madi Lancaster (0-1) took the loss for MC, allowing nine hits and two earned runs over the complete game effort.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 9, HENDERSON STATE 5

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lady Choctaws fell behind early as HSU grabbed a run in the first inning, but a ground ball to Qualls turned into a double play as she threw across the diamond to junior Brianna Caldwell and Caldwell turned and fired home end the inning.
- Both teams struggled to score until Qualls sent a deep fly over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1. It was her 22nd career home run, which ties her with Tylan Buckley for the second most in school history (Brooke Smitherman, 27).
- MC would tack on another couple runs on an RBI single from Miller and a bunt single from Harmon.
- The Reddies responded in their half of the fourth, taking the lead right back with three runs and making the score 4-3 after four frames.
- Caldwell tied the game for the Lady Choctaws with a sharp double down the left field line to score Murphy after she singled and stole second base.
- Sophomore Carly Crawford gave MC the lead for good with a double to the right-center field gap, driving in Caldwell and making the score, 5-4.
- MC would add three more runs to the board in the sixth inning as Qualls drove in a pair with a double, and Crawford scored Qualls with an RBI single.
- HSU cut into the lead with a run in the sixth, but an RBI single by Lee scored Aron and gave the game its final score of 9-5.

KEY STATS
- Junior Adrianna Morgan (3-0) scattered 10 hits over 5.0 innings, allowing just three earned runs.
- Senior Kristen Gardner picked up her first save of the year, getting the final six outs, including a perfect seventh inning.
- Crawford led the offensive attack, going 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
- Qualls went 2-for-5 with the solo home run, a double and three total RBI.
- Murphy and Miller also had multiple-hit days.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Lady Choctaws will be back in action at the GSC Opening Weekend Festival in Montgomery, Ala. They open things on Saturday (Feb. 17) when they face Auburn Montgomery at noon.
 

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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.