March 14, 2008

RIDGELAND – In the opening day of the 2008 Millsaps Softball Classic at Freedom Ridge Park, the Majors used timely hitting combined with strong pitching to knock off Austin College, UT-Dallas and Colorado College to complete a Friday sweep.

Behind a Kasey Thibodeaux four-hitter coupled with six 'Roos errors, Millsaps plated runs in five of seven innings and held Austin to just two (both in the second) to come away with a tournament-opening, 6-2 win.

The Majors got the lead runner on base in the first three innings and scored a single run in each, using RBIs from Jennifer McKinley, Morgan Ladner and Amanda Berry. Thibodeaux earned the win in the circle after allowing just two hits and striking out two in a complete game performance.

After a 9-4 win over the Comets of UT-Dallas in the 6 p.m. game, Millsaps played conference-foe Colorado College down to the wire in the nightcap, coming away with a thrilling 7-6 come-from-behind win in eight innings after trailing from the get-go.

The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead through the first three innings, taking advantage of a pair of Millsaps errors coupled with four hits off the starting pitcher Thibodeaux.

The Majors fought back with single runs in the third and fifth to cut the gap within two, using an RBI-single from Thibodeaux and a wild pitch from CC starter VanHoosen, while Millsaps' Laura Litton kept the Tigers off the board through the seventh.

McKinley's leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh brought the score to 4-3 before a well-executed sac bunt from freshman Haley Stevens allowed the Majors to put the tying run in place. Karoline Kremers delivered the game-tying RBI a batter later, singling up the middle to score Jessica Crowe from second after the frosh pinch ran for Thibodeaux.

CC did its damage in the eighth to pull back ahead by two, scoring off an RBI-single and a wild pitch that made the score 6-4 until the Majors responded with a two-RBI-double from sophomore Sam Hill, followed by the game-winning single from Thibodeaux to third.

Millsaps cranked out a season-high 16 hits in the victory and held CC to just six.

The Majors will play a pair of games on Saturday, facing off with Hendrix and Rhodes at 4 and 6 p.m. They wrap up the weekend with games at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.