GAME ONE BOX SCORE  |  GAME TWO BOX SCORE

NASHVILLE – The Jacksonville State softball team muscled its way to a 7-3 win in game one and then used overpowering pitching in a 3-1 win in the nightcap to sweep an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Tennessee State on Tuesday.

The Gamecocks (21-6, 8-0 Ohio Valley Conference) got three RBI from senior Sallie Beth Burch in the opener before watching junior Kristin Graham strike out 14 Tigers (7-24, 1-7 OVC) in just five innings in the final game of the day.

Graham, a native of Warner Robins, Ga., retired all but one out via the strikeout to notch the most in a game since Carly Kellam tied Ann Shelton's school record of 16 in February of 2005. She held the Tigers to a run on two hits and three walks in five innings to improve to 3-0 on the year. She then gave the ball to senior Ashley Eliasson, who picked up the save after fanning three in two scoreless innings of relief.

At the plate Graham drove in a pair of runs on a game-winning double in the finale after belting a solo home run in the opener. Fellow junior Abbey Stepp went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader to continue her hot hitting. The Versailles, Ky., native and reigning OVC Player of the Week extended her hitting streak to eight games and helped guide JSU to its 13th straight win. The 8-0 start in league play is the second best by JSU since joining the OVC in 2004, behind the 2008 Gamecocks' 12-0 start in conference play.

In the first game of the twinbill, the Gamecocks got a run in the first on Graham's solo home run and another in the second on a Krystal Ruth RBI single that gave them an early 2-0 advantage. The lead didn't hold up for long, as TSU's Brittany Webb hit a two-run home run in the third to tie it up.

JSU answered quickly, plating three in the top of the fourth and never looking back. Stepp, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in the game, led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a Kaycee Crow double that set up a two-run single by senior Sallie Beth Burch. Sophomore Kelci Johnston would later drive in Burch on a ground out to give the Gamecocks a 5-2 lead in the fourth.

The Gamecocks got one more on an Amanda Crow RBI single in the fifth and two more in the seventh, thanks to an RBI single from Burch and a run-scoring double off of the bat of junior Tess Echols to take a commanding 8-2 lead.

The Tigers got one in the home half of the seventh on a Tedra Alford double but couldn't muster any more. Alford recorded two of TSU's three hits off of JSU pitcher Tiffany Harbin (13-4), who earned her ninth win in JSU's last 11 games. The freshman from Hazel Green, Ala., struck out 11 in seven innings that saw her allow three runs on three hits and four walks.

Kelly Troglin (2-7) suffered the loss for TSU after surrendering eight runs on 17 hits in seven innings in the circle. She walked one and failed to strike out a batter, the second-straight game in which the opposing pitching staff failed to strike out a JSU batter.

Stepp and Ruth each recorded three hits for the Gamecocks, while Burch drove in three. Graham's home run was the eighth of the year for the Warner Robins, Ga., native and tied her with Amanda Crow for the team lead.

In the finale, Graham and TSU's Caitlin Eaton dueled in the circle until the Gamecocks finally broke through in the fourth. After an error put Graham on first with one out and Amanda Crow drew a walk, Stepp delivered with a single up the middle that scored Graham and gave JSU a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers wasted little time joining the Gamecocks on the scoreboard, taking advantage of an Amanda Crow error to set up a Jasmine Dunston RBI single that tied the game.

As the Gamecocks have done time after time in the past week, they answered TSU's scoring frame with more runs of their own. A two-out, two-run double from Graham put JSU back on top, 3-1, and gave the Gamecocks a successful answer inning in nine of their last 10 possible tries.

Graham turned the lead over to senior Ashley Eliasson in the sixth, and she was able to close the door and pick up her second save of the season.

Eaton (4-10) was tagged with the loss despite limiting the OVC's most prolific offense to three runs, two earned, on five hits in seven innings. Dunston went 2-for-4 to account for half of the Tigers' hits in the game, while Ruth's 2-for-3 game led JSU at the plate.

The Gamecocks will play a non-conference doubleheader at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday at 2 p.m. before returning home for e three-game OVC series against Southeast Missouri this weekend. The set will start with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday before wrapping up with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free to all JSU home softball games is free.