RICHMOND, Ky. – The Jacksonville State softball team split a key Ohio Valley Conference twinbill with Eastern Kentucky on Sunday.
The reigning OVC Tournament Champion Gamecocks (19-7, 3-1 OVC) paid a visit to the defending regular season champion Colonels (16-11, 3-1 OVC) for meeting early in the conference season. JSU rolled to a 9-2 win in the opener before falling 10-5 in the finale.
Faith Sims tossed a gem in the first game, holding the Colonels to just three hits in improving to 12-1 on the season and 3-0 during the opening weekend of league play. The senior from Cordova, Ala., won both decisions on Friday at Morehead State.
At the plate, senior
Lex Hull went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in leading an 11-hit attack by the Gamecock offense. Junior
Alexus Jimmerson also drove in four runs in the game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
The Gamecocks set the tone early, scoring four in the first inning, a frame that saw an RBI grounder by Jimmerson, a two-run single from Hull and an RBI single by
Amber Jones that set the tone.
Jimmerson's first double drove in one in the second and her second drove in two in the sixth. The next better was Hull, who lifted one over the wall in right center to make it a 9-0 JSU game.
EKU got a two-run homer from Hannah Clark in the bottom of the sixth, but that would be all Sims would surrender.
Murphy McRoberts (0-5) suffered the loss for EKU, allowing four runs on two hits and a walk in 1 and 2/3 innings. Sims struck out six to cap a week that saw her go 3-0 with an 0.93 earned run average. She held opposing hitters to a .102 average in 15 innings in the circle.
JSU seemed to take control early in game two, scoring one in the first and answering an EKU run with a
Hayley Sims two-run homer in the second to make it a 3-1 game.
EKU took complete control in the third, scoring seven runs on eight hits and a JSU error. The big blow in the big inning was a three-run homer from Emily Corbitt.
Anna Chisolm did her part in drawing JSU closer, belting solo homers in her next two at bats to make it a three-run game in the sixth. But EKU answered with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth that negated those two runs and put the game away.
Nicole Rodriguez started the game and allowed a run on one hit and three walks in just one inning of work.
Kirsten Titus (1-2) came on in relief, surrendering seven runs on seven hits in 1 and 2/3 frames to suffer the loss.
Reagan Watkins allowed the two unearned runs late, the only runs she gave up in 3 and 1/3 innings of relief work.
Bethany Todd (4-0) earned the win, holding JSU to five runs, three earned, on six hits in 5 and 1/3 innings. She struck out seven before being chased for Mollie Paulick, who earned her fourth save in 1 and 2/3 innings that saw her allow just one hit and strike out three.
The Gamecocks will play a non-conference game at UAB on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Birmingham.
