The Mississippi University for Women softball team reached the 20-win milestone for the third consecutive season after splitting a doubleheader against Lyon College on the road. The Owls, with a 20-16 overall record and a 14-8 mark in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, lost the first game 18-7 in seven innings but won the second game 9-6 at Fred Wann Field.
Lyon College, currently second in the SLIAC with a 23-9 overall record and 14-4 in conference play, also won the series with the Owls, including a 5-4 victory on March 24 in Batesville. With three conference games remaining—against Greenville University at home—the Owls have secured a spot in the SLIAC postseason tournament for the third straight year. Their seed will depend on the outcome of the Greenville series and other conference results.
The first game saw MUW take an early 3-0 lead but fall behind after Lyon scored five in the first inning. The Scots added six more runs in the second and one in the third to lead 12-4 after three innings. The Owls were outhit 16-6, with no player recording more than one hit. Chase Marshall homered in the third, his sixth of the season. Elliott Turbyfill, who came off the bench, added a two-run single in the sixth, but all four MUW pitchers struggled, with starter Chris Ellis taking the loss.
In the second game, the Owls’ offense responded strongly. Baron Brack went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Marshall, batting fifth, was 3-for-3 with two doubles, three walks, and three RBIs. Swayze Rikard added two hits in four at-bats. The game-changing moment came in the third inning when designated hitter Hastings Gibson hit a grand slam, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving MUW a lead they never relinquished. Connor Reilly pitched three innings of two-hit relief to earn his second win of the season, allowing one unearned run with two strikeouts and no walks.
