March 19, 2008

JACKSON – Sophomore Kasey Thibodeaux tossed her seventh complete game, giving up just four hits over the final four innings, to record her sixth win of the year in Game 1 and freshman Haley Stevens went 2-for-3 with her first career home run in Game 2 as Millsaps knocked off Centre in a pair of games on Wednesday to complete the series sweep.

On a dreary, drizzly afternoon, wind gusts of up to 30 mph caused both teams to step up their game on defense with the wind blowing straight in from the SW. The opening game of the day was delayed in the third inning for more than 15 minutes when the windscreen on the outfield fence came loose, causing the game to run for nearly three hours.

(Game 1) Just as they did in the opening game of the series on Tuesday, Centre (6-10) scored the first run of the ballgame in its half of the first, taking advantage of a pair of stolen bases and a leadoff single from Lindsey Willett as Julia Hubbard sacrificed Willett home.

Millsaps (14-7) plated its first runs in the second to take their first lead of the game at 2-1, using back-to-back walks issued to Thibodeaux and Amanda Berry and scoring off a Jessica Crowe sac bunt and a Tiffany Ladnier fielder's choice.

The Colonels responded with two runs in the top of the third to retake the lead at 3-2 thanks in part to a pair of errors from Millsaps. Hubbard's infield single to short scored Taylor Childs and Willett after an error in the outfield.

Millsaps retook the lead for good in its half of the third, scoring three runs off two hits and two Colonels errors for the 5-3 advantage. Sam Hill's leadoff single got the rally started, later scoring on a Thibodeaux RBI-single to right while two more runs scored unearned.

The Majors scored runs in the following three innings coupled with six Centre errors, plating two in the fourth and fifth along with one in the sixth for the 10-5 win.

(Game 2) The duo of freshman Laura Litton and sophomore Brittney McAllister shut Centre down at the plate, combining for a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts to give Litton her sixth win of the year (6-1) and McAllister her conference-leading third save of the year.

Millsaps plated five runs in the first inning off five hits to knock the Colonels back on their heels, sending nine batters to the plate against Centre starter Tyler Travis. Stevens highlighted the inning with a two-RBI double to left center to go along with RBIs from Jennifer McKinley, Jessica Crowe and Litton.

Litton tossed a solid 4.0 innings to start the game before McAllister entered in the fifth, retiring 12 of the final 15 batters she faced after giving up a leadoff single to start the game.

McAllister gave up just one hit in the final 3.0 innings in relief as Millsaps tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth off Stevens' solo-shot to left and Hill's RBI-single to right to end the game with a 7-0 victory.

The Majors will put their season-best 11-game winning streak on the line Saturday, March 29, hosting the University of the Ozarks (Ark.) in a doubleheader at 12/2 p.m. The scheduled twinbill at Christian Brothers on March 25 has been postponed until mid-April.