FINAL STATS
OXFORD, Miss. – Meredith Sellers and Nikki Prier belted home runs while Karla Pittman dazzled in the circle to lead Jacksonville State (27-9) to a 5-1 over the University of Mississippi at the Ole Miss Softball Complex on Wednesday.
The win was the 10th straight for the Gamecocks, who got a complete game from Pittman. The North Canton, Ohio, native held the Rebels to an unearned run on five hits while striking out nine in her seven innings in the circle. She won her fifth-straight decision to improve to 9-1 and dropped her team-leading ERA to 1.30.
Sellers drove in a pair of runs, while Prier and Allie Barker led the JSU offense with two hits apiece. The Gamecocks have now won 12 of their last 13 games heading into a key Ohio Valley Conference series against Tennessee Tech at University Field this weekend.
Ole Miss took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a RBI bloop single from catcher Amber Tramp. The base knock scored Courtnie Ghinaudo, who reached on an infield single to start in the inning and moved second on a passed ball with one out.
Jacksonville State tied the game in the top of the third on Prier's 10th home run of teh season, a solo shot over the wall in right. Sellers then gave the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead in the fourth, when her solo blast curled just inside the foul pole in left.
Jacksonville State broke the game open in a fifth inning that saw the Gamecocks score three runs on just three hits and two Rebel errors. Mary Beth Ledbetter and Hillary Downs opened the inning with back-to-back singles before left fielder Chrissy O'Neal walked to load the bases. Lindsey Perry, who entered in relief of starting pitcher Becky Nye, gave up an RBI single from Barker that started teh scoring. Downs scored later in the frame on a throwing error by Rebel catcher Amber Tramp, and the Gamecocks added the final run in the inning on a fielding error by shortstop Lauren Grill.
Ole Miss threatened in the bottom of the fifth, when a pair of walks by Tramp and Grill and a single from Doornberg loaded the bases with two out. However, Pittman got third baseman Ashley Dowdy to ground out to second to end the rally attempt.
Doornberg finished the day 2-for-4 with two singles, while Grill singled in two at-bats and walked once.
Nye suffered the loss after pitching the first 4.0 innings and allowing three runs on four hits. Perry entered the game in the fifth and pitched the final 3.0 innings, giving up two unearned runs and striking out four.
Nye was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in four innings of work. Perry pitched the final three frames and gave up two unearned runs on two hits.
The Gamecocks will begin their series with TTU on Saturday, when the two will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. They will close the set with a 1 p.m. single game on Sunday. Admission is free for all JSU home games.
