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OXFORD, Ala. - The Union University softball team dropped the opening game of the 2023 Gulf South Conference Championships 5-3 to Mississippi College. Union dropped to 24-25 overall, while No. 14 Mississippi College improved to 41-8 on the season. 

Seven-seeded Union now plays the 6-seed Montevallo Thursday morning, May 4 at 10 a.m. in an elimination game at Choccolocco Park. 

Prior to the game, Union senior first baseman Grace White was given the GSC Champion Scholar Award for having the highest GPA with the most credit hours completed among all competitors at the championships. This is the second straight season for Union's White to receive the award. 

The first two innings of the game were scoreless for both teams. Mississippi College's McCall Lee, the GSC Player of the Year, took advantage of a couple walks and hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the third to give MC the lead. It was the first hit of the game for the Choctaws off Union pitcher Riley Vaughn (12-12). Vaughn tossed six innings in the complete game, allowing five runs on six hits with four strikeouts and five walks. 

MC added two runs in the fifth to push the lead to 5-0. Those runs proved to be the game winning runs as Union scored three runs in the top of the sixth. Idalia Alarcon and White went back-to-back with a 2-run homer and a solo shot respectively. Union was outhit 6-4 in the game. 

Alarcon led with two hits and two RBI. White and Brooke Puckett each added one hit. 

-UNION-