Mississippi Valley State Wins SWAC Softball Championship

Courtesy SWAC.org

Photo: Sidney Jackson

DECATUR, Alabama  -- .Mississippi Valley State University captured a consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference softball championship with an 11-3 decision over Alabama State on Saturday at Wilson Morgan Park.

After dropping its first game of the tournament, MVSU (25-30) won five straight en route to its conference-leading eigth overall SWAC title. The victories include six consecutive crowns from 2004-2009.

MVSU gathered 13 hits and was powered by Nicole Burr at the plate. Burr finished 3-for-4 with a home run, four runs scored, and four RBI.

MVSU tallied runs in six innings, recording three in the first, without giving up the lead for the game. The Delta Devilettes went scoreless in the fifth while adding four runs in the seventh.

Yasmin Battle, Brittany Lilly, and Xiomara Perez recorded multiple hits. Battle went 4-for-5 with a RBI and two runs scored. Lilly gathered two RBI going 2-for-5 with one run scored. Perez registered a RBI with two hits.

Alexandria Robertson was named tournament MVP. Robertson finished MVSU's six-game tournament slate hitting 8-for-20, with three runs scored, four RBI, five doubles, and one home run. For the game, she went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Kimberly Spivey (9-9) picked up the win giving up two hits and three runs (two earned). Relief pitcher, Alicia Lorenz, closed out the game scattering four hits, no runs, one walk with five strikeouts in four innings.

ASU (15-33) committed six errors as starting pitcher, Bailey Patt, was charged with the loss. Patt gave up nine hits, seven runs (six earned) while walking four with a pair of strikeouts.

After adding a run in the first to close the deficit, 3-1, the Lady Hornets trailed 5-1 in the bottom of the third.

Brehanna Rodrigues opened the bottom half of the inning with a triple and Tamara Williams walked before stealing second. Makavla Webster singled on a fielder's choice to score a run, and with runners on third and first with one out, an error plated Williams for the Lady Hornets final tally.

Rodigues went 2-for-3 with three runs scored to lead ASU. Webster recorded two RBI on one hit.

BOX SCORE

SWAC SOFTBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Alicia Lorenz (Mississippi Valley State)
Nicole Burr (Mississippi Valley State)
Brehanna Rodrigues (Alabama State)
Meagan Dixon (Alabama State)
Bailey Patt (Alabama State)
Cally Falls (Prairie View A&M)
Leanna Flores (Prairie View A&M)
Canessa Swanson (Jackson State)

TOURNAMENT MVP
Alexandria Robertson (Mississippi Valley State)

Courtesy SWAC.org