FINAL STATS

WOODSTOCK, Ga. – The Jacksonville State softball team used the long ball to pull off a thrilling come-from-behind 8-6 win over Indiana State on Sunday in the final game of the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic.

Trailing 6-5 with two on and two outs in the sixth, freshman Kaycee Crow belted the first pitch she saw over the wall in center to give the Gamecocks (13-7) the deciding advantage. The round tripper was the first of the Ringold, Ga., native's softball career, and it was the third for the Gamecocks in an up-and-down game against the Sycamores (4-6) that saw all eight JSU runs cross the plate with two outs on the board.

Junior Nikki Prier and freshman Meredith Sellers hit back-to-back blasts in the first inning to jump start an explosive day for the JSU offense. Prier, a native of Raleigh, N.C., hit a two-run shot just before Sellers, a native of Columbiana, Ala., belted her first collegiate homer to give JSU a 3-0 advantage.

Freshman Allison Svoboda doubled later in the inning to drive in junior Hillary Downs from second and give the Gamecocks a 4-0 advantage before ISU's offense had a chance to swing the bats. JSU pushed the lead to 5-0 in the second, when a throwing error by third baseman Amber Paz allowed junior Mary Beth Ledbetter to score.

The lead looked like more than enough for senior Melissa Dowling, who took a no-hitter into the fifth, but the Sycamores erupted for six runs in an inning that was sparked by a grand slam from Katie Armour that tied the game at 5-5. Dowling would load the bases again before sophomore Ashley Eliasson came on in relief. The Vallejo, Calif., native walked Sam Markowski to start her appearance and give ISU the 6-5 advantage before getting Alyssa Marcum to ground out to end the big inning.

JSU didn't allow the Sycamores' lead to stand for long, thanks to Crow's homer that easily cleared the wall in straightaway center.

Senior Allie Barker was 4-for-4 on the afternoon to lead the Gamecocks to a 12-hit attack at the plate. Svoboda was 2-for-4, while six other players scattered the team's six remaining base hits.

Eliasson (4-3) would face the minimum over the final two innings to pick up her second win of the tournament and earn all-tourney honors. Dowling ended up surrendering six runs on four hits, while walking four and striking out three in 4.2 innings of work.

Armour, who was also ISU's starter in the circle, got just two outs in the first before giving up four runs on three hits. Lindsey Beisser (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits in five innings in the circle. Darcy Wood pitched the final 1.1 innings for the Sycamores, striking out two and allowing one hit.

The Gamecocks will travel to Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday to take on Ole Miss in a single game that will start at 4 p.m. CT before returning home to begin Ohio Valley Conference play against Austin Peay on Saturday at 1 p.m.