JACKSONVILLE – Freshman Whitney Gillespie went the distance in the circle and went 2-for-3 at the plate to lift the Jacksonville State softball team to a 6-1 win and the series sweep over Tennessee State on Sunday.
 
The Gamecocks (23-8, 7-0 Ohio Valley Conference) used a four-run fourth that was sparked by a Gillespie homer to pull away from the Tigers (9-21, 2-8 OVC) for their third win of the weekend.
 
The Tigers were able to get on the board against the Gamecocks for the first time since 2013, snapping a string of six-straight shutouts by JSU in the series. Their run crossed with two outs in the third, snapping a streak of 43.1 consecutive scoreless innings by Gamecock pitchers against TSU.
 
Gillespie, a native of Pelham, Ala., homered to lead off the big fourth inning and singled in the sixth for her two hits at the plate. In the circle, she held TSU to a run on five hits, while striking out four in her seven inning outing that improved her to 8-3 on the year.
 
Junior Ella Denes also had a pair of hits, including a double and two runs scored, for the Gamecocks. Sophomore Taylor Sloan drove in two runs on a double in that fourth-inning rally.
 
Denes got JSU's first hit on a bloop single to right in the second and then scored the game's first run on a Cadi Oliver double to left center. She scored from first on the one-out line drive to the gap and gave the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.
 
The Tigers got on the board in the third, their first run against JSU in two years, after three singles set up a double steal that saw Courtney Gearlds take second and Tayler Shimizu come home on the throw. The run snapped a streak of 43.1 consecutive scoreless innings for JSU pitching against the Tigers and tied the game at 1-1.
 
The Gamecocks reclaimed the lead in the fourth, thanks to Gillespie's leadoff homer that drifted over the wall in right. Her opposite field solo shot was followed by a rope double to the left center gap by Denes that chased TSU starter Amber Galyon from the circle.
 
The Gamecocks welcomed reliever Jasmine Matchen to the circle by loading the bases to set up a two-run double from Taylor Sloan that made it a 4-1 JSU lead. Stephanie Lewis followed with a sac fly that plated Savannah Sloan and made it a 5-1 JSU advantage.
 
The Gamecocks scored their final run in the sixth on Gillespie's second hit of the game. The single up the middle was bobbled by Gearlds in center, allowing Jordan Bullock to score and put the deciding 6-1 score on the board.
 
Galyon (2-8) suffered the loss in the circle after surrendering three runs on four hits in three innings of work. Matchen allowed two runs on three hits in two innings, while Taylor Green gave up an unearned run on a pair of hits in the seventh inning.
 
Danica Gleason went 2-for-2 to pace the TSU offense, while Shimizu had a hit and scored the Tigers' lone run of the series.
 
The Gamecocks take to the road for a big weekend in Illinois next weekend against SIUE and Eastern Illinois. They will start the trip with a doubleheader against the Cougars on Friday in Edwardsville, Ill., before taking on the Panthers in Charleston in a Saturday twinbill.