GULF SHORES, Ala. --- The Mississippi College softball team dropped two games to a pair of ranked teams on Sunday afternoon at the Gulf Coast Invitational at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

The Lady Choctaws (2-2) fell to #5 Saint Leo (3-3) in the opening game by a score of 4-1. They would lose the finale to #3 North Georgia (5-2) by a score of 3-1.
 

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GAME ONE: #5 SAINT LEO 4, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 1
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Lady Choctaws took an early 1-0 lead after one inning as junior Shayla McKissock reached on an infield single and came home to score on a double by junior Carly Crawford.
 
Senior Cori Cooper took over from there in the circle, striking out the first six batters she faced and tossing 3.0 perfect innings with seven strikeouts to get things started.
 
The Lions got things going in the fifth as they tied the game up with two outs on a line drive single that just tipped the glove of senior Alexia Harmon.
 
The scored the eventual game-winning run on an MC error that gave them a 2-1 lead going to the bottom of the fifth.
 
The Lady Choctaws would get a runner to third in the fifth and sixth innings but could not push another score across.
 
The Lions tacked on two more two-out runs in the sixth and seventh to give the game its final score.
 
KEY STATS
 
The Lady Choctaws mustered four hits, including doubles by Crawford and freshman Annemarie Peavy.
 
Junior Abbey Salvo collected the only stolen base of the game for MC with a swipe in the sixth as a pinch-runner.
 
Cooper (0-1) took the loss for the Lady Choctaws, allowing three hits and one earned run over 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
 
Aria Mounts (3-1) picked up the complete game victory for the Lions, giving up four hits and an earned run with six strikeouts.
 
Kacie Kelly had a team-high two hits from the leadoff spot.
 

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GAME TWO: #3 NORTH GEORGIA 3, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 1
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Lady Choctaws had the first scoring opportunity of the game in the first inning as McKissock walked and stole second but was stranded.
 
Neither team recorded a hit until the bottom of the third when Adella Carver singled on the infield but senior Adrianna Morgan was able to coax a groundout to end the frame.
 
The first runs of the contest came from the Nighthawks in the fourth as Hobby Gregory reached on a two-base throwing error and came home to score an unearned run on a single by Kaylee Womack.
 
They would add another run on an infield bloop single by Katelyn Perry that scored Kelly Kahlert to give UNG a 2-0 lead after four frames.
 
The Lady Choctaws answered with a run of their own in the fifth as senior Makenzie Nieto opened the inning with MC's first hit of the game, a single to right field.
 
Salvo came in to pinch-run again for MC, stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch before coming home to score on a groundout by Harmon.
 
With the score at 2-1 in the sixth inning, McKissock singled with one out and tallied her third stolen base of the day before moving to third on a groundout by Crawford.
 
Senior Brianna Caldwell drew an intentional walk and senior Kristen Qualls also drew a walk to load the bases, but a strikeout of Nieto ended the threat.
 
The Nighthawks would add another run in the sixth on a wild pitch to make the score 3-1.
 
Freshman Gracie Trahan doubled with one out in the seventh but was stranded there as the game ended.
 
KEY STATS
 
The Lady Choctaws put together just three hits in the contest as Harmon drove in the only run and Salvo scored it.
 
McKissock went 1-for-1 with two walks and three stolen bases to lead the MC attack.
 
Morgan (0-1) allowed just five hits and one earned run with four strikeouts in the loss.
 
Abbie Crawford (2-0) tossed the complete game in the circle for UNG, allowing three hits and four walks with nine strikeouts.
 

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NEXT UP
 
The Lady Choctaws will in action next weekend at the Charger Chillout 2.0 in Huntsville, Ala. They open things up Friday at noon against Kentucky Wesleyan.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC 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.