YOUNGSVILLE, La. – The Jacksonville State softball team swept a pair of games on Saturday at the Southeastern Louisiana Mardi Gras Mambo, grabbing a 6-2 win over Abilene Christian and a 3-2 victory over Incarnate Word.
The Gamecocks (6-5) used a six-run seventh to open their day with the come-from-behind win over ACU and then got an early lead and held off UIW to improve to 3-0 in the tournament and extend their win streak to four games.
In the first game, Abilene Christian seemed to be in control most of the way, getting a run in the first and another in the third to take a 2-0 lead. That would hold until the seventh, when the Gamecocks mounted their rally and took over the game.
Nine batters went to the plate in the seventh and the first six reached and scored to turn the game around. A throwing error allowed
Lauren Hunt to reach to start the frame and back-to-back singles from
Keeli Bobbitt and
Savannah Sudduth loaded the bases with no outs.
Maddie Clay drove in two with her single up the middle, tying the game at 2-2. After a
Karsen Mosley single loaded them again,
Alexus Jimmerson's bases-clearing triple put JSU on top for good. She would later score on
Megan Fortner's sac fly and put the 6-2 score on the board.
Reagan Watkins (2-0) earned the win in relief for JSU, holding ACU scoreless on just one hit in four innings of work. She struck out four and walked a pair in relief of
Lexi Androlevich, who tossed the first three innings, limiting the Wildcats to two runs on five hits. She also walked two and struck out four.
Samantha Bradley started the game for ACU and held JSU in check over the first six frames. She didn't get an out in the seventh before allowing two runs. Jillian Hefner (0-1) recorded the final three outs but allowed four runs on four hits in the process to take the loss.
Bobbitt, Sudduth and Jimmerson each had two hits in the win, with Jimmerson leading the way with her three RBI.
In the final game of the day, JSU struck first with two runs in the second inning to take an early lead.
Sidney Wagnon drew a bases loaded walk for the first run and then an UIW error allowed another run to score in the frame.
The Gamecocks stretched the lead to 3-0 with a little small ball in the third. Mosley led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a Jimmerson ground out. That put her in position to score on a Fortner ground out and score what would become the winning run in the game.
UIW got on the board in the fourth with a single run and then added another in the fifth to cut JSU's lead to a run, but the Gamecocks held off rally attempts in the final two innings.
Hannah Brown (2-2) earned the win for JSU, tossing the first four innings and limiting the Cardinals to a run on three hits.
Macy Bearden pitched the final three innings and allowed just one run on three hits, grabbing her first save.
Natalie Myers (1-1) took the loss for UIW, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk in four innings of work. Renee Hoffman tossed two scoreless innings in relief.
JSU will wrap up the tournament with a pair of games on Sunday, starting with a 10 a.m. game vs. Northwestern State and concluding with a 2 p.m. matchup with McNeese State.
