ALBERTVILLE, Ala. --- The Mississippi College softball team traveled to east Alabama for a pair of impromptu games, falling to #6 Young Harris (6-5) and Columbus State (4-2) at the Sand Mountain Park.

The Lady Choctaws (1-4) were originally scheduled to travel to Arkansas this weekend for the McGhee/Hawkins Invitational, but weather forced the cancellation fo the event. On Wednesday, six teams came together and decided to meet in Albertville to play two games apiece on Friday.
 

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GAME ONE: #6 YOUNG HARRIS 6, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 5

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - Playing as the home team, the Lady Choctaws struck first in the opening inning as Mallory Little drew a bases loaded walk to score Brooke Fagan and give MC the early 1-0 advantage.
  - The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the 5th when Gracie Trahan hit her 5th career home run to push the lead to 2-0.
  - The Mountain Lions answered back in the 6th inning as Maddie Urquiola cut the lead in half with a solo home run to lead off the frame.
  - Then, they would take advantage of four hits and two MC errors to push across three more runs and take a 4-2 lead.
  - The Lady Choctaws had a response of their own in the sixth inning as Fagan led off with a double and scored on a triple from McCall Lee to cut the score to 4-3.
  - Mackenzie Collins brought Lee home with the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly that sent the game to the 7th with the score, 4-4.
  - In the 7th, YHC surrounded two strikeouts with three walks and Emily Harris' two-out, two-run single gave them a 6-4 lead.
  - Morgan Bradford led off the 7th with a single and came home to score on a base-hit by Rayne Minor to make the score 6-5.
  - But, the Lady Choctaws would strand a pair of runners on second and third with one out to end the game.

KEY STATS
  - Fagan led the MC offense with three hits, including a pair of doubles, and two runs scored.
  - Minor and Lee also tallied two hits in the contest, while Trahan hit MC's first home run of the season.
  - Five Mountain Lions had multiple hits, led by Biz Walters with three, while Urquiola scored twice.
  - Avery Barnett started in the circle for MC, giving up 10 hits and three earned runs over 5.0 innings.
  - Avery Sanders (0-2) tossed the final two innings for MC, allowing a hit and three walks with four strikeouts.
  - Sam Davis (1-0) collected the win for YHC, despite allowing 11 hits and five earned runs.
  - Jill Dixon recorded the final two outs to collect the save.
 

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GAME TWO: COLUMBUS STATE 4, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 2

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - In the second contest, the Cougars, playing as the home team, jumped out to an early 2-0 lead by taking advantage of a walk and an error by the MC defense.
  - The MC offense broke through in the 3rd inning when Jordan LaFosse singled home Minor with a two-hit hit to cut the lead in half.
  - CSU tacked on runs in the 5th and 6th innings and took a 4-1 lead into the final frame.
  - The Lady Choctaws put up a fight as Trahan scored on an RBI single from Bradford and the tying run came to the plate, but CSU held on for the victory.

KEY STATS
  - LaFosse led the team with a pair of hits, including her fourth double of the season.
  - Lee and Trahan also notched doubles for MC in the loss.
  - Kirstin Reynolds led the Cougars with two hits, while four different players scored runs.
  - Sanders (0-3) tossed a complete game and allowed just two earned runs with eight strikeouts but took the loss.
  - Harley Dawson (1-0) pitched all 7.0 innings for CSU, striking out six with only one earned run allowed in the win.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Lady Choctaws will open Gulf South Conference play next weekend at home when they host rival Delta State for a three-game series beginning Friday (Feb. 19) at 5:00 p.m.
 

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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 18 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Men's and Women's 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.