LOUISVILLE – The Jacksonville State softball team dropped games to Illinois State and Louisville on Friday at the Louisville Softball Classic.
The Gamecocks (9-12) dropped an 8-7 heartbreaker to Illinois State in walk-off fashion to start the day and then couldn't catch up with host Louisville in a 6-3 nightcap.
In the first game JSU rallied from three down in the seventh to tie, but Illinois State got a walk-off single from Jordan de los Reyes that scored Regan Romshek to pull off the 8-7 win.
Senior
Casey Akenberger and junior
Taylor West combined to allow just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings, but four JSU errors and a passed ball led to seven unearned runs that ultimately did JSU in. West suffered the loss after surrendering one unearned run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings of work, while Akenberger gave up seven runs, one earned, on six hits and five walks in five frames.
The first game saw JSU answer a first-inning run by ISU to score three in the top of the second and take an early lead.
Stephanie Lewis homered to tie the game and then
Ella Denes delivered a two-run double to put the Gamecocks on top.
ISU tied the game on an error by second baseman
Jordan Bullock in the bottom of the third, but a
Taylor Sloan RBI single in the fourth reclaimed a one-run lead for the Gamecocks.
The fourth inning saw an early JSU error lead to three Cardinal runs, while an error in the fifth made a bases loaded walk to Riley Hale plate another unearned run and give ISU a 7-4 lead.
The Gamecocks mounted a rally in the top of the seventh, when a leadoff walk by
Taylor Sloan and a
Whitney Gillespie double set up an RBI single from
Emily Church that cut the deficit to 7-5.
Lewis followed with a single to left to make it a one-run game and
Caitlyn Sapp delivered a pinch-hit single to left that tied the game at 7-7.
The Cardinals got a one-out single from Hale, and then a walk to Romshek and a passed ball set up de los Reyes' game winner.
Ali Domkuski (2-3) earned the win despite throwing just one inning. She allowed one run on two hits and struck out two in the process.
In the second game of the day, Louisville struck first. The host put runners at second and third with one out but got just one on a sac fly off of the bat of Lillie Goetz that made it a 1-0 game.
JSU tied it in the second, when a Lewis double, Bullock single and
Leila Chambers hit by pitch loaded the bases and set up an RBI walk to
Ella Denes.
The Cardinals grabbed the lead back in the home half of the third, thanks to an RBI single by Maryssa Becker and a run-scoring double from Goetz that made it a 3-1 game.
JSU tied it in the top of the fourth, which was started when Bullock reached on an error and
Emily Woodruff and Denes delivered back-to-back singles to plate one. Sloan lifted one to center to plate Woodruff and make it a 3-3 game.
The Cardinals didn't waste time getting the lead back, loading the bases in the bottom of the fourth and getting an infield single from Sidney Melton to put a 4-3 lead on Louisville's scoreboard.
Louisville would add runs in the fifth and sixth innings and hang on for the win.
The Gamecocks managed nine hits against the Cardinals, with Sloan and Woodruff each recording two. Seven players had at least one hit, including freshman
Alyssa Hitt, who notched her first career hit with a seventh-inning pinch-hit single to right.
West (3-4) suffered the loss in the circle after allowing six runs, five earned, on 14 hits and three walks in six innings. Becker (6-4) earned the win after limiting JUS to three runs, one earned, on five hits in four innings. Megan Hensley picked up the save after holding the Gamecocks scoreless on four hits in three innings.
JSU will wrap up the Louisville Softball Classic on Saturday with a 5 p.m. game against Dayton.
