JSU - CMU FINAL STATS  |  JSU - FAMU FINAL STATS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A first-inning grand slam by junior Abbey Stepp lifted the Jacksonville State softball team to a 5-1 win over Florida A&M and a split on day two of the Jacksonville Invitational on Saturday after a 2-0 loss to Central Michigan to start the day.

Stepp's first career grand slam and her third home run of the season followed singles by Kaycee Crow and Kristin Graham and a walk by Hayden Crawford to put the Gamecocks (5-4) up for good on the Lady Rattlers. The win came right after a pitching gem from CMU's Chelsea Sundberg handcuffed the JSU bats in the first game of the day.

Against FAMU, the Gamecocks got their second solid pitching performance in as many days from freshman Tiffany Harbin (2-2). The native of Hazel Green, Ala., struck out 10 batters while limiting the Rattlers to a run on six hits in her second complete game of the weekend.

For JSU at the plate, Stepp, a native of Versailles, Ky., was one of three players with two hit. Kaycee Crow, a native of Ringold, Ga., was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, while Graham was 2-for-3 with a walk. A native of Warner Robins, Ga., and transfer from Virginia Tech, Graham made her first start for the Gamecocks against FAMU after pinch hitting in her JSU debut on Friday.

Jennifer Lindsey pitched all seven innings for the Rattlers and surrendered five earned runs on eight hits. She struck out four and walked four in the losing effort. Taylor West was one of six FAMU players to scatter the team's six hits and drove in their only run with a first-inning double.

In the morning game against Central Michigan, the Chippewas took advantage of some fourth-inning miscues by the Gamecocks to score two unearned runs and give Sundberg all she needed. They managed to plate two runs despite recording a hit in the frame, but a two-out throwing error by senior Sallie Beth Burch and a walk and two hit batters by starter Ashley Eliasson proved costly for JSU.

Eliasson (0-1) allowed just two unearned runs in 3.2 innings in the circle but suffered the loss after striking out two, walking two and hitting two. Freshman Savanna Hennings got the final out of the fourth and held CMU scoreless on two hits over the final 3.1 frames in relief.

Sundburg was the star in the circle in the game, limiting JSU to just three baserunners in a complete-game shutout. She struck out six and gave up three hits, two singles by freshman Tyris Branford and a double by Burch, in a win that saw her retire 13 in a row at one point.

Kari Seddon went 2-for-2 at the plate for CMU to record half of the Chippewas' hits.

The Gamecocks will wrap up the three-day tournament on Sunday with a 12 p.m. CT game with host Jacksonville.