VALDOSTA, Ga. – Just two runs decided the outcome of a Gulf South Conference doubleheader between the Valdosta State softball team and Mississippi College, as the Blazers took down the Lady Choctaws 8-7, before dropping the nightcap, 10-9, in an 11-inning, game two marathon.
 
The Blazers (28-10, 14-5 GSC) jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first three innings of game one, but the Lady Choctaws (22-13, 13-8 GSC) slowly climbed back into the game with a pair of runs in both the fourth and the fifth innings. Valdosta State's final run of the game came on an RBI double by Brandy Morgan, which proved to be a critical tally after MC stacked up three runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Despite the scare in the final frame, Avery Lamb knuckled down to induce a groundout to second base by Alexia Harmon, which left Carly Crawford stranded as the potential tying run. The effort by Lamb improved the freshman to 12-2 on the year, while Adrianna Morgan took the loss to 3-4 on the year.
 
Adrianna Morgan lasted just 1.1 innings in the contest, thanks to a five-run second constructed by the Blazer offense. The Lady Choctaw hurler was forced to exit the game midway through the inning after Haley Garrett started the bottom of the frame with a leadoff walk and Jessica Mohl and Tara McIntyre produced back-to-back singles moments later. Marley Peagler came on in relief, and a pair of hits by Hayley Cruthers and Taylor Hartenbach, along with two errors by the Mississippi College defense, led to the big inning and a 6-0 lead for VSU after two.
 
The final push by the Lady Choctaws came in the seventh, when Crawford, who went 4-for-4 in game one, slapped a two-out, two-run single to center field. The pair of RBI's marked two of nine for the freshman on the day, but the aforementioned groundout ended the game before MC could do any additional damage.
 
In game two, the Lady Choctaws flipped the script and used a grand slam by Tylan Buckley in the third and a three-run homer by Crawford in the fourth to open up a 7-2 lead.
 
Valdosta State fired back, however, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth on two hits and an MC error to cut the deficit to two. One inning later, Hartenbach delivered a clutch double to center field to plate both Mohl and McIntyre and tie the game with two outs.
 
The 7-7 tie held until the 10^th inning, when MC plated a pair in the top half of the inning before Valdosta State answered with a two-run double off the bat of Chelsea Canara, which tied the game again with two outs.
 
With the international tie-breaker rule in effect, Mississippi College's deciding run came in top of the 11^th on an infield single by Kathryn Lee. The Blazers failed to match the run in the bottom half, which led to the loss.
 
Freshman Haley Fowler, who came on in relief in the 10^th for her first appearance of the season as a pitcher, suffered the loss to fall to 0-1. Meanwhile, MC freshman Jordan Holifield went the distance, pitching all 11 innings to improve to 2-0 on the season.
 
The Blazers will host the rubber match tomorrow, as the two teams square off in the series finale at 1:00 p.m. at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.