LORMAN, Miss. (March 29-30, 2019) - Mississippi Valley State softball loss all three games of their SWAC weekend series at Alcorn State (7-6, 4-0, 4-3). Freshman Jade Arroyo led the Devilettes at the plate hitting .600 during the weekend tallying six hits and three RBI.
 
GAME 1: Alcorn 7, MVSU 6
MVSU opened the three-game weekend series with a tough setback Friday. The Devilettes cut into a Lady Braves 5-1 lead with a three-run fourth inning (5-4). Then, MVSU tied the contest up at 5-5 in the next inning but Alcorn used a walk-off RBI single to win game one, 7-6.
 
Junior Alyssa Montes (3-9) pitched the entire game and gave up 11 hits, five earned runs, and three walks. Arroyo had her first three-hit game of the season and registered three RBI. Senior Dejanae Gage had a pair of hits including her first triple of the year and scored a run. Senior Sharia Cormier and freshman Jaylon Davis both doubled, for the first and second times this season, respectively.
 
In the first inning, sophomore Kennedy Lester drew a walk and then scored on an RBI single up the middle by Arroyo for the early MVSU lead.
 
Trailing by four runs in the fourth inning the Devilettes put together three hits scoring three runs  rallying from behind. Gage tripled to right center field and then scored on an RBI double to right-center by Cormier. Davis kept the bats going with an RBI double to left-center scoring Cormier. Junior Jodeci Afoa-Tuia scored the last run on a groundout hit to the shortstop.
 
Arroyo had her second RBI of the evening in the fifth inning single up the middle allowing junior Kaylin Dunn to score. Alcorn took a 6-5 advantage in the sixth inning, but MVSU responded in the seventh inning to tie things up once again.
 
Sophomore Deshonte Smith led the inning off with a walk and later scored on a single by Arroyo. The Lady Braves ended the game on their second hit of the inning, a walk-off shot down the right field line to win the game, 7-6.
 
GAME 2: Alcorn 4, MVSU 0
The teams played a doubleheader on Saturday to close out the weekend series. Alcorn shutout MVSU 4-0, by holding the Devilettes to two hits. Arroyo doubled and Smith singled as MVSU struggled to hit.
 
Senior Alejandra Salazar (0-7) went four innings on the mound striking out one while freshman Daisy Page pitched two innings in relief also striking out one batter.
 
The Lady Braves scored three runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth inning for the victory. MVSU's offensive production was Smith singling to center field in the fourth inning and Arroyo doubling down the left field line in the seventh inning.
 
GAME 3: Alcorn 4, MVSU 3
 
Despite outhitting Alcorn 5-2, MVSU fell 4-3 as the Lady Braves completed the series sweep. Montes tossed 2.1 innings in the start striking out two while Page went most of the way pitching 3.2 innings holding Alcorn to one hit.
 
Arroyo once again led the offense with two hits. Freshman Demi Slater blasted a home run, Davis doubled and Dunn drew a pair of walks.
 
The Lady Braves used a bases-loaded walk, bases-loaded hit by a pitch and a wild pitch along with an RBI single to put four runs on the board for Alcorn in the third inning.
 
MVSU came to life in the next inning thanks to Afoa-Tuia's fielder's choice RBI that allowed pinch runner freshman Brianna Alston to score the Devilettes first run in the fourth inning. Next, freshman Jewel Unga reached on an error scoring pinch runner freshman Ayana Taylor trimming the deficit to 4-2.
 
In their final at-bat, the Devilettes trailed by two runs and could only come up with one down the stretch. Slater hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left-center field in the seventh inning. Dunn drew a walk but a groundout ended the game for MVSU with Alcorn winning 4-3.
 
The Devilettes are 0-9 against SWAC opponents this season. MVSU returns to the field Wednesday, April 3 with a home contest against Central Arkansas at 4 p.m.