JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps softball team opened SAA conference play in emphatic fashion with a pair of shutouts over Centre College on Saturday. The Majors claimed game one, 10-0 in five innings and game two, 8-0 in six innings at the Millsaps Softball Complex. Millsaps softball retired Molly Tyner Boland's No. 16 between the victories and 2012 alum Jade Hewitt threw out the ceremonial first pitch to begin the day.

Game One: W, 10-0 (5 Innings)

Senior Cassidy Thrash was flawless in 5.0 IP as she struck out three batters, allowed four hits and zero runs. Offensively Magen Authement recorded three RBIs, while Molli Perry and Emily Cook added two RBIs. Both Perry and Camille Black scored a pair of runs.

The Majors exploded in the second inning for eight runs with 13 batters competing in the frame. Run number one came when Alli Nolen was walked with the bases loaded. Perry would then reach on fielder's choice and Cook would walk to give Millsaps a 3-0 lead and chase the starting pitcher.

Millsaps continued its plate discipline as Katie Norris was hit by a pitch and Black was walked for runs four and five. The uppercut would come when Authement doubled deep to left center field clearing the bases and giving the Majors an 8-0 advantage.

The Majors would score the final two tallies in the third inning. After a Nolen leadoff single, Perry would triple to left field. Cook would then hit a sacrifice fly to bring Perry home for a 10-0 count. Thrash would allow a pair of hits in the fifth but preserved the shutout with the eight-run rule in effect.


Game Two: W, 8-0 (6 Innings)

Senior Hayleigh Rogers and junior Hannah Derouen combined for the second shutout of the day with an 8-0 victory in six innings. Rogers tossed 3.2 innings, striking out two Colonels while yielding three hits and one walk. Derouen entered for 2.1 IP in relief, striking out three batters and surrendering only two hits and one walk.

Authement reached base safely with three walks of her own. Perry finished 3-for-4 with three runs, Norris tallied three hits to go along with two RBIs, and Kat Reeves had an excellent game. Reeves scored three times, went 1-for-2, tallied an RBI and garnered two walks.

Millsaps (6-8, 2-0 SAA) jumped on Centre (4-9, 0-5 SAA) early for two runs in the first inning. After two singles, Cook would reach on an error to score Perry. Norris would then crush the ball to left center to score Kat Reeves, giving the Majors a 2-0 edge.

With two runners already in scoring position to open the third inning, a wild pitch would bring Reeves home from third and score the third marker of the contest.

Centre would strike out the first two Majors in the fourth, but Perry would then reach on a bunt single and advance to second on an error. She would then reach third with her first of three steals in the second game. Another error would put Millsaps ahead 4-0.

Perry continued her terrific outing by leading off the sixth with a double down the left line. She would steal third and home for her 14th and 15th of the season. The Majors would extend their lead to 6-0 when Norris singled up the middle to score Reeves.
 
A passed ball would bring home run number seven and a Wascom RBI off a fielder's choice would make the game reach the eight-run limit in the sixth frame.


Millsaps concludes the series with the Colonels on Sunday, beginning at 12 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at gomajors.com.



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