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The Mississippi College softball team won the 2016 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championship with a 3-0 win over Belhaven University on Friday afternoon at the Botetourt Sports Complex.
The Lady Choctaws (39-19) set a new school record with their 39th victory of the season. shutting out the cross-town rival Blazers (37-9) in the final game of the season.
“I could not be prouder of this team,” said head coach Brooke O’Hair, who celebrated a birthday on Thursday. “They gave it everything they had all season long and it all came to fruition today. This team is really special, and they proved it today.”
Senior Carlie Sargent (21-11), the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, tossed her 9th career shutout, striking out seven and giving up just four hits. The Oxford, Ala. native only had to face more than four batters in one inning on the day.
In the first inning, MC got all the offense they would need as a two-out rally was started by a single from freshman Alexia Harmon. Freshman Kristen Qualls singled through the left side to put runners at first and second.
Junior Tylan Buckley drove in the game-winning run with a single to right-center field that chased home Harmon and give MC a 2-0 lead.
After Belhaven drew a leadoff walk in their half of the first, Sargent retired the next seven batters in-a-row and did not see a runner reach second base until the fifth inning.
The Lady Choctaws added some insurance runs in the fourth inning, loading the bases with no outs. Junior Megan Everett shot a single into left-center field, scoring junior pinch-runner Haley Thompson and junior Lauren Mulligan to put MC ahead 3-0.
In the fifth inning, the Blazers got runners to first and second with two outs, but a strikeout by Sargent ended the threat. Belhaven also got a one-out double in the sixth inning, but MC got two fly-outs to keep the Blazers scoreless.
In the seventh inning, Sargent got a pop-up to senior third-baseman Kimmie Conley to start the frame and a groundout to Harmon to put two outs on the board.
The final out of the game was a groundout to Mulligan at second base, sending the Lady Choctaws to a dogpile in the middle of the field.
Everett and Mulligan joined Sargent on the All-Tournament Team as the Lady Choctaws became the first women’s team in school history to bring home a national championship.
Conley, Madison Oliver and Sargent all closed out their careers on Friday afternoon. Conley set a new school record, playing in her 183rd career game on Friday, while Oliver started every game this season, finishing fourth on the squad with four home runs.
Sargent finished her career with 39 victories over two seasons, setting a new school record with 198 strikeouts in 2016.
