COLUMBUS — The Mississippi University for Women softball team started strong in conference play this weekend, registering doubleheader sweeps of St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponents Lyon College and Eureka College at Don Usher Field in Columbus. The Owls handled the Scots 4-2 and 7-0 on Friday before taking down the Red Devils 8-0 and 5-2 on Saturday. The series wins take the team to 14-10.
“I’m extremely proud of these girls and the journey we are on,” Owls head coach Rebecca Oldham said on Friday. “They all have such a great drive and fight in them. It feels great to come out and jump right into conference with a sweep. These girls fought hard today, and I know they will continue to do so.”
Freshman two-way player Brooklyn Rhodes added two wins to her already impressive season, pitching 5.1 innings on Friday and throwing a complete game on Saturday, the latter game featuring a season-high nine strikeouts. She drove in a run in each of the Saturday games against Eureka and led the team with seven hits over the four weekend games.
Phallyn Clark also featured heavily on the mound, pitching a complete game shutout against Eureka with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Her performance earned her Owl of the Week honors from the school’s athletic department.
The weekend helped the Owls put a doubleheader loss to Millsaps College behind them, but more importantly, it has them sitting 4-0 in their conference. The team was able to outpace both opponents on offense and keep things in check defensively, putting them in a good position to build some confidence in conference play.
“It was a great team win,” catcher Emilee Slade said after the Saturday sweep. She registered two RBIs and helped guide the defense to two shutouts over the weekend. “Our pitchers did an excellent job keeping their hitters in check, giving our bats the chance to come alive. We had solid defense all around and strong hitting up and down the lineup, an awesome effort by everyone.”
The Owls will head to Louisville, Kentucky, this weekend for a doubleheader against Spalding University. They will then welcome Greenville University and Fontbonne University to Columbus for another pair of doubleheaders beginning April 11.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
