DuBOIS, Penn. – Mississippi University for Women softball had mixed results in its first games at the 2022 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series at Heindl Field. The Owls (15-19) knocked off No. 3-seed Penn State University-Brandywine (32-12), 5-1, but then fell to No. 2-seed D'Youville College (28-12), 6-2, in its evening bout.
 
The loss dropped The W into the elimination bracket. They will play Carlow University on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (CT). To reach the title game on Thursday, the Owls would need to win three times on Wednesday.
 
In its game on Tuesday morning – rescheduled from Monday due to weather – MUW got some key performances from its seniors. From the circle, Amelia Stalter (5-6) was electric, throwing a complete game. She scattered seven hits – resulting in one earned run – and struck out 12 Lions, while issuing a single walk.
 
The W set the tone early with the bats, as well. Jessica Deming led off the game with a triple. The Owls second batter of the day, Megan Cummins, promptly slapped a double that allowed Deming to score easily to make it 1-0 before an out had been recorded.
 
The Lions knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth and that score stood heading into the final frame.
 
In the seventh with one out, The W catcher Ashton Farnell was hit by a pitch. With two down, senior Katie Beth Williams reached on a throwing error by the PSUB shortstop to prolong the inning. That was followed by a walk to senior Lauren Duckworth that loaded the bases for Deming.
 
Deming uncorked a grand slam over the left-centerfield fence to put her team ahead on the scoreboard, 5-1. Stalter retired the Lion in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win for MUW.
 
Deming was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and the four big runs batted in.
 
Its second-round contest versus D'Youville had a similar start, but a much different ending. In the top of the first with one out, Cummins was hit by a pitch. That brought up junior secondbaseman Riley Phillips, who belted a triple that plated Cummins to again give The W a 1-0 lead in its half of the first.
 
In the third, freshman designated player Rylie Grisham – who two nights ago won the USCAA Home Run Derby – demonstrated her clout with a solo homer to right-center that upped The W cushion to 2-0.
 
The Owls nursed that precarious advantage through the bottom of the fifth. At that point, DC got to The W's starter Kaitlyn Parrish for five earned runs. That brought Grisham in to pitch and close down the fifth uprising. The Saints added a run off Grisham in the fourth for the 6-2 final score.  
 
Grisham was 2-for-3 to pace her team's five-hit offense.  She also had five strikeouts from the circle, as did Parrish.