JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps softball team guaranteed at least a split in the weekend series today with two wins over Hendrix in the afternoon double header.
Millsaps (5-16, 3-2 SCAC) got off to a strong start, scoring four runs in their first two at-bats and holding the Warriors (6-13, 0-5 SCAC) scoreless into the fourth. Megan Yglesias drove in Caroline Thompson for the first run with a double to left after Thompson's leadoff single and subsequent stolen base. Emily Spicer knocked her in from third two batters later with a single following a sac bunt from Allyson Christian put Yglesias on third.
The second inning began where the first left off as Sam Wursteisen got an infield single to short in the leadoff and moved to third on a hard hit ball by Catherine Henry. Jade Hewitt drove in Wursteisen with a single to left and moved to second on the fielding error by the Warrior defense. Caroline Thompson came back around and reached on another error that plated Hewitt for the Majors' fourth run.
Hendrix got on the board in the fourth with a two-RBI single with the bases loaded. The Majors responded in the fifth with a double from Allison Tarbox that scored Emily Spicer from third to keep Millsaps on top 5-2.
The Warriors tied the game in the top of the sixth thanks to four hits including a solo shot to right from Paula Burr to knot the game at 5-5. Millsaps regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning with a Megan Yglesias home run to center with two outs to put Millsaps back up 6-5.
The fireworks weren't finished though as the Warriors got three runs in the top of the seventh, all unearned on a two-out rally after a costly error at second by Yglesias allowed the inning to continue after Katie Birdwell had gotten the first two outs from the first two hitters in the frame. The Warriors got two more hits in the inning to plate three to take the 8-5 lead going into the home half of the seventh.
The Majors responded yet again. Allison Tarbox got a one-out single to short and advanced to second after a fielding error by the Warrior third baseman put Sam Wursteisen on first. Jade Hewitt then stepped to the plate as the winning run and crushed the ball deep over the center field fence to get the walk-off win for the Majors, 9-8.
In game two, Hendrix got off to the fast start with four runs in the opening two innings, but couldn' sustain the lead. The Majors got one back in the bottom of the first off an Yglesias double that scored Caroline Thompson from second. Then, the Majors got two more in the third to cut the Warriors' lead to one, 4-3, with a Emily Spicer double that scored both Yglesias and Thompson.
Hendrix got two more in the top of the fourth to go up 6-3, but it all came undone in the home half of the inning. The Majors got a leadoff walk to Katie Birdwell followed by a Wursteisen single and a wild pitch to put runners at second and third with no outs. Jade Hewitt singled to bring in Birdwell for the first run. Thompson came up and got a rope single back to the pitcher that scored Wursteisen and left to on for Yglesias.
Megan got a three-run blast to left to clear the bases and put Millsaps on top for the first time in the game, 8-6. Adding insult to injury, the Majors got one more run in the inning thanks to a balk and a wild pitch that scored Emily Spicer after she got on with a single following Yglesias' home run.
The Majors tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth to seal the 11-6 win and get the first two games of this four-game conference set.
The Majors and Warriors will meet again tomorrow for another double. First pitch has been moved up to 11:00 a.m. due to the threat of rain in the Jackson area tomorrow.
