BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 3 seed Millsaps softball team split a pair of contests at the BSC Softball Park on Saturday to advance to the Birmingham pod finale of the SAA Tournament. Millsaps fell to No. 2 seed Birmingham-Southern, 2-0 and recovered with a 5-4 victory over No. 7 seed Centre.

The Majors will look to win two games against BSC on Sunday to advance to the SAA Championship Series next weekend. Game times are set for 12 and 2:30 p.m. with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.
 
Game One (L, 0-2)

Senior Cassidy Thrash pitched 5.2 innings in a valiant effort in Saturday's opener. She yielded two runs, five hits and one walk to the No. 9 nationally ranked team in Birmingham-Southern (31-6).

Molli Perry singled to open the game and that was followed by Kat Reeves reaching on a fielding error. However, BSC would recover and escape the early threat following a pair of strikeouts.

Thrash would work a quick 1-2-3 first and second inning to open her outing. However, the Panthers would open the scoring in the third beginning with a one-out double. A steal of third and ensuing single would create a 1-0 lead.

Norris, the star of Friday's opening game, battled with an eight-pitch at-bat in the fifth but came up just short. Mackenzie Fleming would follow with a seven-pitch walk of her own. The Panthers would end the inning with a fly out.

Birmingham-Southern would use back-to-back doubles in the sixth with two outs to increase its advantage to 2-0. Junior Hannah Derouen would enter and produce a fly out to prevent further damage.

Camille Black would pinch hit with two outs in the seventh. She would reach on a dropped pop fly by the pitcher. Norris would then battle in a nine-pitch plate appearance but flied out to end the opening game on Saturday.
 
Game Two (W, 5-4)

Senior Ty Bergeron was heroic in an elimination game with three RBIs. Perry finished 2-for-3 with two runs, a walk and two stolen bases. She now has totaled 42 stolen bases on the season.

Hayleigh Rogers, Brianna Newman and Hannah Derouen combined to slow the Colonel attack. Derouen earned the save with 2.0 IP, striking out two batters against two hits and one run.

Millsaps (19-22) got off to a great start in the first inning by taking a 1-0 lead. Perry led the game with a single and Reeves reached via an error. With runners on second and third, Bergeron used an RBI groundout to plate Perry.

Centre (11-30) would answer with two runs in the bottom of the second and one in the third for a 3-1 edge.

The Majors would respond with their season on the line by plating four runs in the sixth inning. Perry and Reeves opened the inning with singles before Bergeron would send both runners home with a clutch double.

Norris then singled, which sent pinch runner Valirea Sentelle to third. Amber Clark would then ground out, but a throwing error by the BSC first baseman would score Norris and Sentelle on the play. Millsaps would jump ahead 5-3.

Centre would add another run in the sixth, but Derouen polished off the win with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.


To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps softball program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.