JACKSON, Miss. -- After falling by a run in game one, 7-6, LeTourneau softball got some lockdown late innings from the bullpen and some clutch hitting to earn the doubleheader split with Millsaps, winning game two, 10-9. 

The YellowJackets move to 4-4 after the doubleheader split, while Millsaps goes to 5-4. 

GAME TWO (LeTourneau 10, Millsaps 9, 8 inn.)

Kylie Grisham, Leighton Landreth, and Raina Doggett collected three hits apiece and Hannah Decker (1-0) got her first win of the season as the YellowJackets survived, 10-9, in eight innings.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first frame, LeTourneau would score seven unanswered runs from the third through sixth innings to take a 7-3 lead. Lilly Longoria would give the YellowJackets the initial lead with her RBI double in the sixth inning.

In the seventh inning, LeTourneau would amass an 8-4 lead thanks to Doggett's RBI single. The bottom of the inning, however, would see Millsaps mount a four-run rally that tied the score, and they still had the bases full with two outs.

This is where Decker made her mark.

She induced a fly out on a 1-2 pitch to send the game into extras, and after Landreth drove in a run and a Majors error gave the YellowJackets a two-run lead, Decker held down the fort in the bottom of the frame, stranding the tying run at second on a sharp fly out to center fielder Maddie Flanery. She concluded her outing with 1.1 innings of relief, picking up a strikeout and only allowing one unearned run.

Kirstin Ferguson started the game for LeTourneau, and had another quality start, throwing 6.1 innings while giving up only three earned runs and striking out eight. 

Hailey Peterson (2-2) was tagged with the loss for Millsaps, throwing all eight innings and giving up 10 runs (six earned) with three punchouts. She also collected four hits at the plate in the two games with a double and three RBIs.

GAME ONE (Millsaps 7, LeTourneau 6)

The comeback effort fell just short for the YellowJackets as they lost, 7-6, in game one. 

Allana Vazquez (3-2) got the complete game victory for the Majors, striking out six. Kensie Baldwin (0-1) received the loss for LeTourneau, although she picked up a pair of punchouts in two innings of work.

After going down 7-0 at the end of three innings, the YellowJackets started to mount a response in the fourth. A passed ball brought Flanery home for the first run of the game, and then a Millsaps error and a two-RBI double from Alexa Neilon brought home three more runs to close the gap to 7-4.

Two solo homers in the sixth, one from Grisham and one from Maddi Smith, made it a one-run ballgame with only an inning to play. Flanery would reach base as the tying run in the seventh on a two-out walk, but a fly out would end the comeback effort one run short. 

Alexa Neilon went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in this game, while Smith added two RBIs and two runs scored. Laney Taylor threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen with two strikeouts as well for LeTourneau.

UP NEXT

The YellowJackets will head to Atlanta next Friday for a six-game weekend slate in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Their first matchup is against Gettysburg on Friday at 2:00 p.m.

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