JACKSON, Miss. - The Vikings continued their quest for a conference tournament championship against the Millsaps Majors on Thursday afternoon, where they lost in a defensive battle by a final score of 5-2. 

The Vikings were fueled in the early innings by the flame throwing arm of Mason Snyder, who delivered five strikeouts and gave up just one run in six innings of work.

Pacing the Berry bats were Alex Knapp and Joey Garcia, who each generated 2 hits and an RBI.

Facing the number one-seeded Majors, the Vikings started slow offensively, as they went away in order with their first chances at bat. Snyder came right back at the Majors, though to send them away in order to head into the second inning.  

The same story line reigned true for the second and third innings, as both pitchers continued to stifle opposing batters. Through three innings, Snyder had still not surrendered a single hit, dominating the Majors on the mound. 

A base hit right down the middle from Nick Brunswick in the first at bat of the top of the fourth seemed to give the Vikings some life. Riley Uhls would softly tap a ground ball along the right-field line that would retire himself, but Brunswick advanced into scoring position with no outs. A Pendleton ground out, then sent Brunswick around the horn all the way to third base. With Garcia now in the batter's box, he faced a 1-2 count and crushed a pitch into left field to score Brunswick off an RBI single to make the score 1-0. 

Looking to answer in the bottom of the fourth, the Majors were not able to tie the game thanks to dazzling pitches again from Snyder. In the top of the fifth, the Vikings turned to small ball, as Pulaski reached on a bunt and was advanced in sacrifice fashion by Aiden Cloud to second base. At the top of the lineup with two outs, Alex Knapp drilled an RBI double into the heart of the Millsaps outfield to score Pulaski and extend the Viking lead to 2-0.  

The bottom of the fifth saw the Vikings finally surrender hitting production from the Majors. Not phased, Snyder stood tall on the mound and punched out a Major, stranding two runners in the process to keep the score 2-0.  

After going away without generating runs in the top of the sixth, Millsaps drove in a solo home run to make the score 2-1. After facing runners on first and second base and a full count at the plate, Snyder dug his way out of the hole to preserve the one-run lead.  

With the entry of Aubrey Moraitakis on the mound for Snyder in the bottom of the seventh, the game remained stagnant after a nice debut inning and no production on the scoreboard.  

Despite Alex Knapp doubling and reaching third base, the Vikings were unable to drive him in, leaving the score at 2-1 in the top of the 8th inning. 

The bottom frame of the 8th spelled disaster for the Vikings as they surrendered four straight tickets on base that resulted in two runs scored, as the Majors took their first lead of the game, 3-2. An error later in the inning with Cole Porter on the mound led to the Majors going up 4-2. After another run scored, Porter faced the SAA Player of the Year with the bases loaded and two outs. Working a 2-2 count, the sidearm signature reliever out dueled the Millsaps batter to send the Vikings into the top of the ninth with a fighting chance, down three runs.  

A base hit with one out from Garcia set up a path to success for the Vikings. Pinch-hitting for the first time in the ball game, Caleb Spikes stepped into the batter's box and delivered a huge single that advanced Garcia to third base. With runners now on the corners, Pulaski fell victim to a 6-4-3 double play that ended the game despite a valiant Viking effort.  

With the loss, the Vikings still have a chance to stay alive with a win against either Rhodes or Centre tomorrow. Game time is set for 4:15 PM ET.