MONTGOMERY – The Jacksonville State softball team raced out to an early lead and cruised to a 12-3 mercy-rule win at Alabama State on Wednesday.
The Gamecocks (13-13) scored five runs in the first and six more in the second to open an 11-0 lead and held off the Hornets (11-18) to extend their season-long win streak to four games.
Back-to-back doubles from
Ella Denes and
Taylor Sloan to start the first and homers from
Emily Church and
Whitney Gillespie capped the big inning that set the tone for the rest of the day. JSU belted another homer in the game, a pinch-hit solo blast from freshman
Anna Chisolm, the first of her career, in the fifth.
In all, the Gamecocks rattled off 16 hits, seven for extra bases, and scored at least one run on each of the three pitchers that ASU threw at them. Sloan, Church, Gillespie,
Hayley Sims and
Jordan Bullock each notched two hits in the win.
Gillespie got things started in the circle and tossed two scoreless innings before the day was done. She allowed just one hit and struck out two.
Casey Akenberger (6-2) earned the win in relief, where she tossed one inning and allowed a run on two hits in the process.
The freshman duo of
Kirsten Titus and
Faith Sims each tossed one frame and each allowed one run.
Melissa Christmann (4-7) suffered the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits before being chased in the first without recording an out. Maddie Phelps gave up seven runs on nine hits in two innings, while Rachel Milles tossed three innings and allowed a run on four hits.
The Gamecocks return home and return to conference play on Friday, when they start a busy weekend with an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader against Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. They will then host SIU-Edwardsville for a twinbill on Saturday, also at 1 p.m. Admission is free for JSU students and all fans ages 18 and under.
