Juniors Shine On Senior Day, MVSU Splits Doubleheader With Offensive Surge

Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)

ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Mississippi Valley State University softball program used three home runs by senior Jaylon Davis and juniors Naomi Drake plus Keisha White to propel Valley to its biggest scoring output of the season in game one, 10-6.

Game two saw FAMU stake a seemingly insurmountable 12-1 lead after two-and-a-half on the back of 11 unearned runs, but the Green and White clawed all the way back to within three before running out of gas, 12-9.

This may not be the last home game however, as there is a possibility for a makeup game with Alabama A&M which was snowed out in the SWAC Opening series at home.

The Basics

• Final Score (Game 1): Mississippi Valley State 10 | Florida A&M 6

• Final Score (Game 2): Florida A&M 12 | Mississippi Valley State 9

• Records: Mississippi Valley State (11-22, 9-11 SWAC) | Florida A&M (17-26, 11-10 SWAC)

• Location: Itta Bena, Mississippi – MVSU Softball Field

• Series History: Florida A&M Leads 7-5

• Winning Streak: Florida A&M (W1) | Mississippi Valley State’s Last Win: Game 1 of Doubleheader (10-6).

Mississippi Valley State Top Performers

• Drake might not be a Senior, but her day was just as memorable. The first basemen from Elk Grove, California drove in the go-ahead runs in the win with a inside-the-park grand slam for her first career home run in her 109th at-bat and 59th contest as a Devilette. Her four RBIs on that one swing was more than she had in the entire season coming into the game (3) and set her new personal-best for her tenure. The accomplishment was the first inside-the-park grand slam by a Mississippi Valley softball player since at least 2012, as the NCAA’s box score database only goes back through the beginning of that season.

• White was “white-hot” at the plate, less than 24 hours after showing off her cannon of an arm on defense. The centerfielder went 4-for-8 (.500) with a stolen base, three runs scored, her fourth career triple, and her fifth career home run, a two-run rocket to the deepest part of the yard to put an exclamation point on the victory.

• Senior Brianna Alston was an on-base machine as she went 4-for-6 (.667), scoring four times and walking twice while notching career steals number 26 and 27. She cataloged three hits in four at-bats during the nightcap, her seventh career three-hit affair as she now sits just ten hits shy of the elusive 100-club.

• Senior Jaylon Davis only had one hit in both games, but both were major contributors. She got game one started with a bang as she crunched a leadoff solo home run to center while then in game two, she walloped a double before motoring around to score. Davis also extended her season and team-long on-base streak to 12 straight dating back to March 26 and sits tied with Alston at 90 career hits, within reach of the illustrious milestone.

• Senior Daisy Page wore an unlucky loss, giving up 12 runs to drop to 8-7 in the circle. Despite that, Page actually saw her ERA fall one point down to 2.53 as only one of those runs were earned, tossing three frames with one strikeout.

• Morgan Gutierrez may be a starter, but she shone brightly out of the bullpen Saturday, hurling seven scoreless innings in relief over two appearances, whiffing three Lady Rattlers on top of allowing just four hits and two walks.

• A’tajua Wren was victorious in the series clincher, laboring through four innings of work while keeping her offense within striking distance.

Notes

• Game one saw MVSU score in double-figures (10) for the first time all season while game two was Valley State’s most hits (14) for a single contest this year, producing five more base knocks than their previous season-high (9).

• The opener also saw three Devilettes home runs in a game for the first time in five seasons, going back to April 8, 2017 when the Green and White launched three as well against Alabama A&M.

• The entire defensive lineup for Valley outside of the pitcher and designated player all had at least one hit in the doubleheader opener while the club stole five bases for the second time in 2022.

Valley will hit the road for its final series of the regular season with three games in Huntsville, Alabama against Alabama A&M. If the Devilettes win that series, there’s a strong possibility they can clinch their spot in the conference tournament.

Follow the Delta Devils and Devilettes on Facebook (Mississippi Valley State Athletics), Twitter (@MVSUDevilSports) and Instagram (@MVSUDevilSports).

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