JSU-UIC BOX SCORE | JSU-UL BOX SCORE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After freshman Tiffany Harbin's one-hitter and junior Kristin Graham's solo homer lifted the Jacksonville State softball team to a 1-0 win over Illinois-Chicago, host Louisville eliminated the Gamecocks from the Louisville Regional with a 12-0 win in a five-inning late game on Saturday.

The Gamecocks (40-21) conclude their season with their eighth 40-win season and the seventh in the last nine seasons. The trip to the Louisville Regional was JSU's fifth NCAA appearance overall and the fourth in a row, the longest in program history.

Harbin, a freshman from Hazel Green, Ala., was stellar in the circle for the Gamecocks in the win over UIC. One day after soreness in her pitching wrist scratched her from her start against Cal, the OVC Freshman of the Year tossed her fifth shutout of the season and did so in dominant fashion. She struck out seven in her 22nd complete game and won her 25th game in 35 decisions, second-most in a season in school history.

Graham provided the heroics at the plate, spoiling UIC starter Devin Miller's gem with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to put the only run on the board. Her 14th long ball of the season snapped a six-game homerless skid for the JSU offense, its longest since 2007, and was her first round tripper since April 20, 45 at bats prior.

Sophomore Krystal Ruth singled twice in three at bats to lead the Gamecocks in hits. Fellow sophomore Kelci Johnston and juniors Abbey Stepp and Tess Echols also added singles for the JSU offense.

Miller held JSU (17-19) to the one run on six hits in six innings of work that saw her strike out three and walk none.

Harbin held the Flames hitless through the first five innings, but leadoff batter Melinda Macias singled to lead off the sixth to spoil what would have been her third no-hitter of the season. She worked out of the jam, striking out Carly Demarco and forcing a ground ball double play by Coryn Schmit to thwart the rally.


In the nightcap against Louisville, the Cardinals jumped to an early 2-0 lead after an RBI double from Alicja Wolny and an RBI single from Colby Wherry put JSU in the early hole.

They opened it up in the second, scoring eight times on seven hits and three costly JSU errors to pull out to a 10-0 advantage. Seven of the eight runs in the inning were unearned. UL tacked on two more in the third on a two-run double from Wherry to push its lead to 12-0.

JSU managed just one hit against UL starter Caralisa Connell (20-7), who struck out six and walked one in her five-inning complete game. Six of the Cardinals' 14 hits came from Wolny and Wherry, who were each 3-for-3, with Wherry driving in three runs and Wolny two. Maggie Ruckenbrod drove in two runs to lead a group of eight other UL players with one hit apiece.

Harbin (25-11) suffered the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits in 1.2 innings of work. Graham got just one out and allowed six unearned runs on six hits before sophomore Hilary Phillips gave up two runs on four hits over the final two innings.