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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The bats came alive for Jacksonville State in its first game of the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship on Thursday, when the second-seeded Gamecocks rolled to a 6-1 win over sixth-seeded Murray State at Williams Field.

Freshman Tiffany Harbin held the league's most prolific offense to just one run on four hits, while the Gamecocks (37-18) scored two runs in each the third, fourth and fifth innings to advance to the final of the winner's bracket on Friday at 3 p.m. The Racers (25-26) fall into the loser's bracket and will play on Friday at 12:30 p.m.

Junior Kristin Graham went 2-for-2, while sophomores Krystal Ruth and Kelci Johnston each drove in a run on a pair of hits to lead JSU's best offensive output in nine games. JSU had at least one baserunner in all but one inning, while Harbin kept MSU off of the bases to win her 23rd game of the year to tie Melissa Dowling and Carly Kellam for the second-most wins in a season in school history.

The Hazel Green, Ala., native and league's Freshman of the Year struck out 10 batters to move up another list, passing Kellam for fourth in single-season strikeouts with 239. She surrendered just one run on four hits in her 19th complete game of the season.

The Gamecocks broke a scoreless tie in the home half of the third, a three-hit inning that was started by a leadoff double to right center by Graham. The line drive one-hopped the wall and snapped an 0-for-22 slump for the Warner Robins, Ga., native, who scored after a Tess Echols sac bunt and an RBI single from Ruth.

Ruth's bloop single went under the glove of right fielder Meghan Sims, allowing her to reach third and score on Johnston's second hit of the game. Johnston drove the first pitch of her at bat into the gap in right center and put the Gamecocks on top, 2-0.

They got two more in the fourth, thanks to a leadoff single by Kaycee Crow, who scored on a triple by freshman Hayden Crawford. After her first three-bagger of the year, Crawford scored on a ground out from Echols, an RBI that came in an at bat that saw her foul off eight pitches after falling behind in the count.

JSU continued it offense in the fifth, when another Racer error set up a run. Third baseman Stephanie Mattocks overthrew first on a leadoff grounder from Johnston and Amanda Crow made it count. The senior roped a double down the line in left that score Johnston from first. Crow advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored to make it 6-0 on a two-out single from senior Sallie Beth Burch.

The Racers finally got to Harbin in the sixth, when Jenna Bradley and Lauren Buch used back-to-back hits to cut the JSU lead to 6-1. Bradley singled with one out and scored on Buch's double to right center after entering the inning with just two hits off of Harbin through the first five frames.

Chelsea Sullivan (9-13) suffered the loss after surrendering six runs, four earned, on eight hits in 4.2 innings of work. She walked one and struck out one before making way for Madysen Wilton, who allowed two hits in the final 1.1 innings in the circle.

The Gamecocks will face the winner of Thursday's evening game between #1 and host Eastern Illinois and #5 Southeast Missouri.