JACKSON- The Millsaps Majors earned a split with the Birmingham Southern Panthers on Saturday, dropping game one 11-3 and winning the nightcap 5-4.
The Panthers scored the 11 runs in their final three innings, ending the game in five and handing Blakeli Entremont her second loss in eight decisions.
It was Millsaps that scored first in game one, getting a two-out rbi double from Savannah Havard, scoring Megan Murray who had walked. After a quiet second, the Panthers took the lead with a four-run third inning.
The Panthers strung together hits and walks to dent the plate four times in the third. Three different run scoring singles turned the tables in BSC's favor. After a three-up, three-down third, the Panthers broke the game open with a five-run fourth. Birmingham tallied up seven hits in the inning including a pair of two run scoring base knocks. It would be 9-1 after the top of the fourth.
The Majors scored twice in the bottom of the inning with Kat Romero getting walked with the bases loaded and Caroline Thompson hitting home a run with a single. But the Majors would leave the bases loaded and BSC would score twice in the fifth to put the run rule in effect. The Majors wouldn't score in the bottom of the inning and the Majors fell to 2-3 in conference play.
GAME TWO BOX
The Majors would win a back-and-forth second game on Saturday, holding off the Panthers 5-4.
Katie Birdwell went the full seven innings and worked around seven walks to get the win.
The Panthers grabbed the early 1-0 lead in this one, scoring a run in the top of the first. A walk and a pair of stolen bases set up a run scoring single for BSC to take the lead. The Majors would get two on with two out in the bottom of the inning but couldn't score. Neither team did much until the bottom of the third inning when the Majors scored a trio of runs to forge ahead.
Caroline Thompson got things started with a one-out single. Megan Murray doubled home Thompson and after a Savannah Havard walk, Rayne Gravat doubled home Murray. A Katie Birdwell walk loaded the bases and Havard scored on a wild pitch to put Millsaps up 3-1.
It would stay 3-1 into the fifth when the Panthers answered the Majors' three-run frame with one of their own. The big blow of the inning was a two-run home run by Panther catcher Torrie Garner to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead.
Millsaps had some late inning magic with them on Saturday, as they scored twice in the sixth inning to retake the lead for good. With two runners on, Caroline Thompson hit a shot past the first baseman and into the right field corner. Two runs scored on the triple by the senior shortstop and proved to be the tying and go-ahead runs.
The Panthers would threaten against Birdwell and the Majors in the seventh, loading the bases with one out. Thompson forced out the lead runner at home off a ground ball to get the second out. Birdwell then induced a pop-up to Megan Murray at second to end the threat and the game.
The Majors move to 12-3 overall and 3-3 in conference after the split. The two teams will meet again tomorrow for another double header first pitch in game one is set for noon.
