CLEVELAND – After the Lady Statesmen scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at 12, Mississippi Valley State hit two home runs in the top of the eighth inning to take the win, 15-13. 

With Megan Hays placed at second base by the international tiebreaker rule, Shanika Randle hit a towering shot to left-centerfield. Two batters later, Angelica Lawrence put a dent in the scoreboard with a blast to leftfield. 

The Lady Statesmen (11-7) got one run in the bottom of the eighth on Emily Hearn's RBI-single, but couldn't get another across to end the game. 

Edie Oliver (7-4) was charged with the loss, pitching 4.2 split innings, allowing seven runs, six earned, on eight hits with one strikeout. 

Brittany Franklin (5-0) earned the win, pitching 3.1 innings of relief, allowing three runs on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks. 

The Lady Statesmen finished the game with nine hits and three errors, while MVSU (19-5) erased seven errors with 15 hits and three home runs. 

Brooke Allgood led the Lady Statesmen at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBIs. 

The Lady Statesmen will be back in action Saturday, March 14, when they travel to Magnolia, Ark., to take on the Lady Riders of Southern Arkansas in a double-header scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.