JACKSONVILLE — In a race against looming rain coming into the area, Jacksonville State notched its 25th win on the season following a 6-1 win over Alabama State Tuesday afternoon.
The Gamecocks ran out to an early 2-0 lead after the first inning after a
Sara Borders' sacrifice fly to left field scored
Emily Woodruff from third base. Two batters later,
Ella Denes came through with a two-out single up the middle to score
Jordan Bullock.
Alabama State's defense limited the damaged in the inning as
Taylor Sloan ended the inning with a ground out to first base with the bases loaded.
Taylor West worked around a one out, bases loaded situation in the top of the second and stranded three Hornet runners.
Stephanie Lewis led off the bottom of the second inning by drilling her first home run of the season to right center field to extend the Gamecock lead out to three. Three batters later, Gamecocks' RBI leader Borders pushed her season total to 30 with a one-out double to left center to score Woodruff from second.
Carly Evans got ASU on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run, which hooked just inside the left field foul pole. The Hornets reloaded the bases with two outs in the inning, ending West's day in the circle, but couldn't muster anything more as
Logan Green came in and induced a ground out to first.
Jacksonville State waited to respond until the bottom of the fifth when freshman
Caitlyn Sapp blasted a two-run home run well over the center field fence to make it 6-1 Gamecocks. It was the first career home run for the freshman out of Pelham, Ala.
Green went on to put the Hornets down in order in the sixth and seventh inning to earn her 10th win on the season.
Cadi Oliver finished two hits in three plate appearances while
Savannah Sloan and
Peyton Barthel both added one hit apiece.
West went 3 2/3 innings in the circle and allowed four hits, one run, issued three walks while striking out one. Green finished the remaining 3 1/3 of the game by only allowing two hits and struck out one.
Jacksonville State will travel to Tennessee Tech this weekend for a doubleheader with the Golden Eagles Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and finishing the three game series with one game on Sunday scheduled for 1 p.m.
