CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team picked up a doubleheader split against Union on Saturday afternoon at the MC Softball Complex.

The two teams came together to raise awareness for breast cancer with each wearing pink during the contests. Head volleyball coach Shawna Laurendine threw out the first pitch after she wrapped up treatment for breast cancer earlier this year.

The Lady Choctaws (10-6, 3-2 GSC) took the first game 2-0 behind a strong outing from freshman Avery Barnett, while the Bulldogs (12-7, 3-2 GSC) bounced back with a 4-0 win in the second contest.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 2, UNION 0 (GAME ONE)

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The first game was a stellar outing by Barnett, who allowed just one hit with no walks over the complete game effort.
  - Neither team was able to break through until the 4th when senior Shayla McKissock led off with a single and came home to score on a Union error.
  - After the Bulldogs tallied their first baserunner of the game in the 5th, Rayne Minor's bunt single scored pinch-runner Paige Hulin after Hayden Claypool led off the frame with a double.
  - Barnett gave up a couple two-out walks over the last two innings, but the Bulldogs could not put a rally together as she notched her first career shutout.

KEY STATS
  - McKissock led the MC offense with a pair of hits and a run scored.
  - Sarah Smith tallied the only hit of the night for Union with a single down the left-field line.
  - Barnett (5-1) walked two with one strikeout over 7.0 innings with just one hit allowed.
  - Parker Davis (5-6) took the loss for Union, giving up six hits and one earned run over 6.0 innings.
 

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UNION 4, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 0 (GAME TWO)

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Bulldogs turned the tables in the second game with a stellar performance from Gabby Morris in the circle and at the plate.
  - The game was scoreless through the first four innings as Morris battled Hannah Creel to just three total hits allowed over 4.0 innings.
  - Union broke through in the 5th when Kristen Pickens sent a two-out solo shot out to left field for the eventual game-winning run.
  - They would put the game away in the 6th when Morris hit a three-run home run with two outs to give the game its final score.

KEY STATS
  - Minor and Morgan Bradford had the only two hits for the Lady Choctaws in the nightcap.
  - Morris had a pair of hits with three RBI and one run scored.
  - Morris (6-1) also tossed all 7.0 innings, giving up just two hits with 10 strikeouts and four walks.
  - Creel (3-4) took the loss, allowing six hits and four earned runs with four strikeouts and no walks.over 6.0 innings.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday with a single game at 2:00 p.m. 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.