JACKSONVILLE –
Whitney Gillespie shut down the top offense in the Ohio Valley Conference and then UT Martin used one big inning to split a doubleheader to open conference play on Saturday at University Field.
Gillespie handed the Skyhawks (21-8, 1-1 OVC), a team that entered the day with the top batting average in the league, their first shutout of the season in a 4-0 opener. The Gamecocks (19-9, 1-1 OVC) gave up all seven runs in a 7-5 loss in the nightcap in one inning to have their historic OVC streak snapped.
After the game one win extended JSU's conference win streak to an OVC-record 31 games, the defeat in game two was JSU's first in league play since April 25, 2015. It snapped the second-longest active conference win streak in the nation and also set a school record for consecutive league wins.
While Gillespie was shining in the circle, her battery mate was delivering at the plate. Senior
Jamie McGuire went 5-for-6 on the day with a walk and two RBI to raise her season batting average to .354. Sophomore
Hayley Sims was 3-for-7 with a homer, a double and three RBI on the day to lift her average to .375.
Gillespie struck out seven and didn't issue a walk in her 10th complete game and third shutout of the year. She allowed just five hits, all single, to the potent UTM lineup to improve to 10-3 on the season.
She got single runs in four innings, the first two coming off of McGuire's bat and the last two off of Sims'. McGuire singled in
Anna Chisolm in the first and belted a solo homer in the third, while Sims' solo homer in the fourth and RBI single in the sixth accounted for JSU's offense.
Sara Hooten (6-3) was tagged with the loss in the game, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks in 3.1 innings in the circle.
In the nightcap, JSU seemed to take control of the game with a run in the first on a
Stephanie Lewis RBI single and a two-run
Emily Woodruff homer in the fourth. The three-run lead seemed to be plenty for JSU starter
Taylor West, who blanked the Skyhawks for four frames.
UTM's bats came alive in the fifth, when the Skyhawks scored seven runs to grab a 7-3 lead. A three-run double from Gracyn McBride and a three-run homer by Alli Fulcher accounted for most of the scoring.
West (7-4) was chased after allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits in 4.1 innings. She walked two and struck out five before making way for sophomore
Faith Sims, who struck out three and allowed just two hits in 2.2 scoreless frames.
JSU got two back in the sixth on RBI singled from Chisolm and
Alexus Jimmerson to make it a 7-5 game and then put the tying runner on base in the seventh, but they couldn't overcome the deficit.
Brooke Kennedy (9-2) earned the win in the circle for UTM, allowing five runs on 11 hits in seven frames of work.
The Gamecocks will be at home Sunday, when they host Southeast Missouri in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at University Field. JSU students and all fans ages 18 and under receive free admission.
