ITTA BENA, Miss. – Kendall Core drove in four runs for the Alabama State University softball team, but it wasn't enough as Mississippi Valley State University used a walk-off two-run home run by Jordan Brown to claim an 8-6 victory in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest at the MVSU Softball Complex Friday night.
 
Core finished the night with a pair of hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored and four runs batted in, as she helped Alabama State grab a 6-1 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth. The senior drove in the first two runs of the game when she singled, driving in Kaylee Davis (who reached on an error) and Valerie Centeno (who walked) in the top of the first inning.
 
The senior extended the Lady Hornets lead to 5-1 in the fifth when she again drove home Davis and Centeno, this time on a bunt which led to confusion in the Mississippi Valley State infield and allowed Davis to score from second and Centeno all the way from first.
 
Alabama State (14-30, 8-8 SWAC) got RBI singles from Taylor Rosser in the third fourth and Perry Hindi in the fifth to push the lead to 6-1 after five trips to the plate.
 
However, Mississippi Valley State (13-29, 8-8 SWAC) scored seven of their eight runs in the final three innings to forge a tie for second in the East Division with the Lady Hornets. The Devilettes scored four runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning of Alabama State starter Justine Jean, off of just two hits and took advantage of a pair of Alabama State errors.
 
Mississippi Valley State would add another run in the sixth before Alabama State turned to Vanessa Bradford (9-12) in the bottom half of the inning with the game tied 6-all. The Devilettes would put the game away in the bottom half of the seventh inning when Lexany Terro reached on a two-out walk, before Brown drove the pitch over the left centerfield fence to give Mississippi Valley State the victory.
 
Davis and Centeno each scored a pair of runs in the loss, each picking up a hit and reaching base twice. Hindi and Rosser each picked up an RBI and hit on the night, while the Lady Hornets finished with eight hits off Mississippi Valley State starter Rebekah Clinton (7-15).
 
Bradford suffered the loss, pitching 1.2 innings in relief and allowing two runs off of one hit; while Jean started and logged five innings, allowing six runs off of six hits.
 
The same two teams will face each other in a doubleheader beginning at 1 pm Saturday afternoon, with the team winning both games clinching the second seed in the East Division.
 
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