MACON, Ga. – The Jacksonville State softball team upended host Mercer 10-7 to open Saturday play at the Mercer Invitational and then used a 9-1 mercy rule win over IPFW to roll into Sunday's title game.
The Gamecocks (4-0) jumped on the host Bears (2-1) and then held on for the win to earn the top seed in Saturday afternoon's bracket play. They then rolled to the mercy rule win over the Mastodons (0-4) to advance to Sunday's championship, where they will play the winner of Saturday night's Mercer/Valparaiso game.
JSU hit .345 on the day, led by a 3-for-5 day from junior
Cadi Oliver that saw her homer twice and drive in four runs. Sophomore
Stephanie Lewis was 4-for-7 over the two games with two RBI and two doubles. Senior
Sara Borders drove in five, thanks to her grand slam in the early game against Mercer.
The Gamecocks capitalized on some Bears mistakes to claim an early lead in the first game of the day. A pair of walks by starter Anna O'Neill and an error by shortstop Emma Andrew loaded the bases for Oliver's whose grounder to the circle was misplayed by O'Neill to let two runs to score.
They loaded the bases again in the second and this time got more out of it. Borders deposited O'Neill's 3-2 pitch over the wall in center field for a grand slam and pushed JSU to a 6-0 lead.
The blast started a power display for JSU in the inning.
Whitney Gillespie took her first career hit over the wall in left for a solo shot that made the lead 7-0 and chased O'Neill from the circle with two outs in the second. Senior
Melanie Steer welcomed new pitcher Rachael Hugghins with a two-run shot to left, the third of the inning for the Gamecocks and the first of the senior's career.
JSU starter
Taylor West cruised through the first three innings until the Bears got in on the action in the fourth. A three-run homer from Riley Carter broke up the shut out and a two-run shot from Andrew cut JSU's lead to 9-5. Kaylynn Sloat's two-run homer in the fifth made it a 9-7 game.
Gillespie came on to pitch in the sixth and held the Bears at bay, setting up the Gamecock offense in the top of the seventh. Oliver took Hugghins' 1-1 delivery over the wall in center to stretch the lead to 10-7.
The Bears loaded the bases in the home half of the seventh but could scratch a run across off Gillespie, who held on for her first career save in her first career appearance. She tossed two hitless frames but did walk two and hit a batter.
Logan Green (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Gamecocks after allowing two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings in the circle. West started the game and left with one out in the fourth after giving up five runs on five hits, while striking out three.
O'Neill (1-1) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs, five earned, on three hits in just 1.2 innings of work. Hugghins gave up three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
IPFW struck early in the opener, grabbing an unearned run on a two-out error by Borders at second. The senior and reigning OVC Player of the Year got it back with a single up the middle in the home half of the first that plated
Emily Woodruff and tied the game at 1-1.
Lewis singled in Steer to give JSU a 2-1 lead in the second and JSU used a little small ball to extend it in the third. Steer dropped a bunt that scored Borders from third and
Jamie McGuire grounded out to plate Gillespie and make JSU's lead 4-1.
Lewis and
Taylor Sloan each doubled in the fourth to make it 5-1 and then Oliver's second homer of the day, a three-run blast to left center, opened it up at 8-1.
Lewis ended it in the fifth with her third hot and second double of the game to score
Ella Denes after her leadoff walk. The walk-off double put an exclamation point on the 9-1 win.
Gillespie (1-0) earned the win in the circle by holding the Mastadons to an unearned run on three hits in five innings. She struck out three and didn't issue a walk.
Kaitlyn Biere (0-2) took the loss for IPFW after allowing eight runs on eight hits in 3.1 innings.
The Gamecocks will play in the Mercer Invitational title game on Sunday against either Mercer or Valparaiso. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CT.
