NASHVILLE –
Taylor Beshears went 3-for-4 with a grand slam in the second game to lift Jacksonville State to a softball split at Belmont on Friday.
After dropping an 8-0 decision to open the doubleheader with the Bruins (25-16, 7-7 Ohio Valley Conference), the Gamecocks (26-12, 10-4 OVC) rebounded behind Beshears bat to close the day with a 7-5 win.
The senior from Trussville, Ala., opened the second game up for JSU, who scored two runs in the first on an
Alexus Jimmerson sac fly and an
Anna Chisolm double. Beshears' team-high 13th home run of the season also ran her team-high in RBI to 34 and gave the Gamecocks an early 6-0 lead.
JSU would need all six runs. The Bruins mounted a rally in the fourth, scoring five runs on three hits and an error to cut the Gamecocks' lead to one run. The big blow in Belmont's big inning was a three-run double from Haley Baker that capped the scoring for the home team.
An
Amber Jones sac fly in the fifth added an insurance run and the JSU bullpen held on for the win.
The Gamecocks got 3 and 2/3 innings of shutout work from three relief pitchers, staring with one hit allowed in 2/3 of an inning by
Lexi Androlevich.
Kirsten Titus came on to toss two hitless frames, before
Faith Sims closed the door with two strikeouts in a perfect seventh that earned her the save.
Nicole Rodriguez started the game and allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits in 3 and 1/3 innings. She was credited with the win and improved to 6-4 on the season.
At the plate, Beshears recorded three of JSU's seven hits, while her homer and Chisolm's double were the team's lone extra base hits.
The first game was all Belmont, who scored three runs in the second and two more in the third to chase Sims (16-4) from the circle and hand her just the fourth loss in 20 decisions this season. They only managed three hits, but took advantage of four walks and three JSU errors in the win.
Alicia Veltri (11-7) earned the win, limiting the Gamecocks to just three hits in five innings of work. She struck out seven, while her offense was recording seven hits in taking the first game of the series.
Beshears, Jimmerson and
Jada Terry each recorded one single to account for JSU's three hits in the loss. Baylee Cook and Audrey Lyle each had two hits and two RBI for the Bruins.
The Gamecocks will wrap up their six-game road swing in the state of Tennessee on Saturday with a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Tennessee State in Nashville. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
