Angie Hughes took care of the pitching and Amanda Lynn, Lexie Dean and Kaylie Drew had king-sized days at the plate as the Lee softball team moved to within one victory of earning a trip to the NCCAA National Tournament by posting an impressive 5-2 win over Mississippi College on Friday afternoon in NCCAA Mid-East Region play at Butler Field.

The top-seeded Lady Flames improved to 32-17 overall while Mississippi College, also a member of the Gulf South Conference, dropped to 26-21. The same two teams will collide again on Saturday at 2:30. A win would send Lee to the national tournament while a defeat would force a second-game showdown. The Choctaws earned a second shot at Lee by posting a 13-0 win over Kentucky Christian in the elimination game late Friday evening.

Hughes improved to 15-7, working the entire seven innings. She allowed the Choctaws only four hits, two earned runs, fanned eight and walked three batters. Carlie Sargent hurled three innings and was charged with the defeat.

Lynn, Dean and Drew had seven of Lee's nine hits. Qiley Lewis produced the other two. The foursome accounted for all five runs. Dean was a perfect 3-for-3 and knocked in two runs. Lynn had two hits, scored once and collected an RBI, but it was Drew who drilled a pair of homers (No. 16 and 17) to steal the show. She moved to within one four-bagger of tying the single-season record (18) held by Johana Gomez.

The Lady Flames moved out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Drew ripped her first home run. The margin grew to 2-0 in the third when Dean's single score Lewis. Two runs in the fifth helped put the contest out of reach. Lynn's RBI hit pushed Lewis across the plate and Dean's one-base knock scored Lynn. Drew put a little icing on the victory cake with another long homer in the sixth.

Mississippi College rallied for two runs in the seventh. Karla Beth Hux knocked in two runs with a double. Ashley Subervielle had a triple in the loss and Macey Lee doubled.

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 7, KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN 1

The Choctaws earned the right to face the Lady Flames by winning over the Kentucky club 7-1 in the opener on Friday. Three runs in the fourth and three more runs in the sixth put the contest out of reach.

Ashley Miller pitched the entire seven innings to score the win for the Choctaws. She gave up six hits, one earned run, struck out four and walked one. Katelyn was the losing hurler.
Shay Mickens had a home run and drove in two runs for the winners. Tori Bankston added a homer while Subervielle, Madison Oliver and Kimmie Conley (two doubles) had extra-base hits. Miller tried to help her own pitching cause with a two-base hit for Kentucky Christian.