RAYMOND, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team opened Gulf South Conference play with a series win over West Alabama, splitting Saturday's doubleheader at Rene T. Warren Field on the campus of Hinds Community College.

The Tigers (4-8, 1-2 GSC) won the opener, taking advantage of six MC errors to grab a 4-1 win over the Lady Choctaws (6-4, 2-1 GSC).

In the finale, freshman Avery Barnett tossed a complete game, allowing just three hits in a 6-1 win for MC.

The series was moved to Warren Field following heavy rain in the area earlier in the week, making the MC Softball Complex unplayable.
 

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GAME ONE: WEST ALABAMA 4, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 1

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The teams were scoreless over the first two innings with MC's only offense being a two-out single from Annemarie Peavy in the 2nd inning.
  - The Tigers broke through in the 3rd with an RBI single from Hayes Fulford to score Kendall Johnson.
  - UWA added two more runs in the 4th on a two-run single by Cassie Matlock that extended the lead to 3-0.
  - The Tigers scored their final run in the 6th with an unearned tally on an RBI single by Matlock.
  - MC scored their run in the 7th on a two-out RBI double by Jordan LaFosse that scored Paige Hulin.

KEY STATS
  - The Lady Choctaws mustered just five hits in the contest, led by two from LaFosse, who also drove in the only run and stole a base.
  - Avery Sanders (0-1) took the loss in the circle, giving up five hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts over 3.1 innings.
  - Hannah Creel allowed just one unearned run with three strikeouts and no walks over the final 3.2 innings.
  - Matlock, Fulford and Johnson led the UWA offense with two hits apiece, while Matlock drove in three runs.
  - Kamree Lay (1-1) tossed all 7.0 innings for the Tigers, giving up five hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
 

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GAME TWO: MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 6, WEST ALABAMA 1

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Tigers got off to another fast start in the finale, putting together a two-out rally with a Kierra Hague RBI double to make the score 1-0.
  - The Lady Choctaws responded, however, with a run of their own on a two-out RBI single by Carly Crawford that drove in Shayla McKissock.
  - Barnett allowed just one baserunner over the next three innings as she shut down the hot UWA offense.
  - MC blew the game open in the 2nd with four runs, the first of which came on a West Alabama error to score Hayden Claypool.
  - The big blow came on a two-run double by Carly Crawford that gave MC a 5-1 lead after two frames.
  - Neither team got much offense going the rest of the way, the only run scoring on a walk and a wild pitch to chase Grace Hahn home.

KEY STATS
  - The Lady Choctaws tallied nine hits, including multi-hit days from Rayne Minor, Crawford and Gracie Trahan.
  - Crawford drove in a team-high three runs, while six different Choctaws touched home plate.
  - Barnett (3-1), gave up just three hits with two strikeouts and two walks over the complete game effort.
  - Caleigh Wallace (2-5) took the loss for the Tigers, giving up six hits and two earned runs over 5.0 innings.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Lady Choctaws are scheduled to be back in action next Sunday with a doubleheader against Drury at noon at the MC 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 began 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.