Despite a hot start in the opening game of the Gulf South Conference tournament, the Lee University softball team could not hold on to the lead and fell to #1 seed Mississippi College 6-5 on Wednesday night. Lee scored four runs in the first inning but then MC scored six runs over four innings to take the win.
With the loss, Lee fell to 20-26 on the season while MC improved to 43-6. The Lady Flames will fall to the loser’s bracket and will take on Valdosta State University in an elimination game at 1:30 PM EST at Choccolocco Park.
Alexa Scalzo got the game started off right with a solo home run on the third pitch of the game.
Two batters later, Javaria Smith singled and then got to second on a wild pitch. Rylie Goodridge followed that up with a single. Laney Harris drove in Smith to make it 2-0. Alyson Jarvi then doubled off the left center field fence and drove in two more runs. Mississippi College was forced to make a pitching change as Camryn Bailey came in to replace Brookelyn Cannon and she retired the side.
MC got a couple of runs in the bottom of the second as they used three hits and an error to score Kamryn Eaton and Bailey. In the third, Bailey drove in Eaton again to make it a 4-3 contest. The Choctaws tied the game in the Bottom of the fourth when Jordan LaFosse tripled to score Emily Rigney.
The Lady Flames retook the lead in the fifth as Hailey Simco hit a solo home run. The bottom of the fifth had the Choctaws take their first lead of the game as they used a double steal to score Eaton and tie the game. Then Bailey hit a sacrifice fly to score Ashley Lightcap which gave MC the lead. The Lady Flames got one more hit but could not score another run.
Natalie Pruitt got the start for the Lady Flames, and she went four innings and gave up four runs on nine hits and struck out two. Olivia Tyson (11-15) took the loss as she went two innings and gave up two runs on three hits while striking out one. Camryn Bailey (23-3) earned the win in relief as she went six and one-third innings gave up one run on four hits while striking out 11.
Lee was outhit by MC 12-9. Javaria Smith had three of the nine hits and a run scored for the Lady Flames.