CONWAY, Ark. – Coming within one strike of its second NCAA appearance in program history on Sunday, the Millsaps College softball team allowed two runs in the bottom of the seventh as Southwestern University rallied for a 3-2 win forcing a second game, which the Pirates won 8-5 to claim the 2010 SCAC Championship.
The Pirates' Haley Hughes hit a two-run, walk-off double to win the opening game as Southwestern was down to its last strike of the season.
The Majors got on the scoreboard first when \#Jennifer McKinley\# drove home \#Emily Spicer\# with an RBI single in the top of the third inning.
Southwestern answered right back with two hits in the bottom half of the inning as Hughes singled home Amanda Ambrose to even the score 1-1.
Both starting pitchers, \#Kasey Thibodeaux\# for the Majors and Lyndsy Maus for the Pirates pitched gems and held the opposition scoreless in the middle innings.
Thibodeaux got help from some stellar defense to keep the game tied in the sixth as Southwestern loaded the bases with three straight two-out singles.
With the bases full, Bre Lewis hit a fly ball to shallow center field where Spicer made a tremendous diving catch to keep the Pirates from taking a lead.
\#Amanda Berry\# led the top of the seventh for the Majors with a pinch-hit single before \#Brooke Lee\# re-entered the game and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by \#Jade Hewitt\#.
\#Laura Litton\# followed with a towering triple to right field scoring Lee from second for the go-ahead run, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Southwestern got a pair of runners on base in the seventh as Aly Pulver singled and Katelyn Gola drew a two-out walk.
Hughes stepped up and with two strikes sent a drive over the head of Spicer in center field allowing both runners to score giving the Pirates the 3-2 win, forcing a decisive second game to determine the SCAC Champion.
The loss marked the first time this season that the Majors lost a game in which they had a lead after six innings and also dropped their record to 0-10 when scoring two or fewer runs.
Southwestern wasted no time in the second game putting up six runs on Millsaps' starter \#Brittney McAllister\# in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run home run by Hughes, who continued her success against Majors' pitching.
Millsaps got one back in the bottom of the first when Spicer led the inning with a double and later scored on an RBI single by \#Megan Yglesias\#, down 6-1.
The Majors would get two more in the second inning as \#LeAnn Williams\# singled home Hewitt and McKinley drew a bases-loaded walk to score Litton.
With the tying run on first base, Millsaps would do no more damage ending the inning with the bases full, behind 6-3.
The Pirates increased their lead to 8-3 with two runs in the third off McAllister but the Majors would not go down quietly answering back with two in the fifth to get within three, 8-5.
Hewitt recorded an RBI single in the fifth and Lee scored on a wild pitch to close the gap while \#Lindsay Drane\# pitched the final four innings allowing only one hit in relief to keep the game close.
The Majors could not get a rally started in the late innings as Southwestern held on for the victory to earn its first SCAC Championship in only its second year as a program.
With the heartbreaking losses on Sunday, Millsaps ends the 2010 season with an overall record of 24-18.
