PENSACOLA, Fla. --- In a battle of the two hottest softball teams in the Gulf South Conference, it was #10 West Florida that outlasted Mississippi College, 1-0, on Friday night at the UWF Softball Complex.

The Lady Choctaws had a nine-game winning streak snapped and fell to 15-4 with a 3-1 mark in the Gulf South Conference. The Argos improved to 19-1 with a 7-0 mark in the league and have now won 15 straight.
 

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TURNING POINT

>> The only offense of the game came in the fourth inning when Kathleen Smiley took the first pitch down the left field line and over the fence to make the score 1-0.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED

>> Neither team had many chances as senior Cori Cooper and sophomore Grace Gilbert dueled it out in the circle, combining to allow just six total hits on the evening.
>> The Lady Choctaws had the first chance of the night as senior Alexia Harmon singled with two outs in the second inning and stole around to third base, but she was stranded 60 feet away.
>> The Argos had their first scoring opportunity of the night in the third inning with a pair of baserunners reaching with two outs, but Cooper induced a pop-out on the infield to end the threat.
>> Smiley produced the only run of the night to lead off the fourth inning, hitting her second home run of the season.
>> UWF had another scoring chance in the fifth with runners on second and third with two outs, but Cooper got another flyout to keep the score at 1-0.
>> MC had their best chance to score in the sixth as freshman Gracie Trahan and sophomore Ashley Elsensohn led off with singles.
>> After a sacrifice bunt by junior Shayla McKissock that put two runners in scoring position with one out, Gilbert was able to get a couple groundouts to end the inning.
 

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KEY STATS

>> Cooper (3-3) took the tough-luck loss in the circle for MC, striking out six and giving up just three hits, including the solo home run
>> Gilbert (7-1) struck out five batters of her own and gave up just three singles in the victory.
>> Harmon led the MC offense with a single and two stolen bases.
>> Smiley hit the solo home run, while Rachel Wright singled and stole a base on the night.
 

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NEXT UP

>> The teams will wrap up the series on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. at the UWF Softball Complex
 

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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.