YOUNGSVILLE, La. – The Jacksonville State softball team wrapped up the Southeastern Louisiana Mardi Gras Mambo Tournament with a pair of 9-1 losses on Sunday.
The Gamecocks (6-7) fell to Northwestern State to open the day and then dropped its final games of the weekend to McNeese State on Sunday afternoon. The day concludes a three-day tournament for JSU with a 3-2 record.
Even though the games ended with the same score, they played out in different fashion. In the first game of the day against the Demons, NSU used seven unearned runs in the seventh to pull away late, while McNeese scored in all but one inning to start creating separation early one.
Sophomore
Maddie Clay went a combined 4-for-7 on the day, while sophomore
Karsen Mosley drove in both runs for the JSU offense.
In the opener, NSU scored a run in each the second and third innings to grab a 2-0 lead, but the Gamecocks cut it in half when Mosley singled in Clay in the fifth. SU seemed to be in striking distance going into the seventh, but three errors and four NSU hits led to the seven-run frame that made it a 9-1 game.
Lexi Androlevich suffered the loss in the game, surrendering two runs on just three hits in three innings of work.
Macy Bearden allowed all seven runs in the seventh, but none were earned after the three errors.
Jensen Howell earned the win for NSU, holding JSU to a run on eight hits in seven frames. She struck out seven and walked two.
The duo of Clay and Mosley combined for five of the teams' eight hits, while Clay's double was JSU's lone extra-base hit.
In the final game of the weekend, McNeese scored a run in the first and another in the third before plating multiple runs in each the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to pull away as the game went on.
The Gamecocks got on the board in the fourth, thanks again to Clay and Mosley. Clay doubled with one out and scored on Mosley's single to right to account for the Gamecocks' lone run.
Caroline Settle earned the win for McNeese, allowing a run on four hits in six innings of work, while Bearden suffered the loss after giving up nine runs on 10 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings of work.
The Gamecocks will open their home schedule on Friday, when they host the Jacksonville State Invite at University Field. Samford and UT San Antonio will open the tournament at 12 p.m. on Friday before JSU plays Samford at 2:30 p.m. and UTSA at 5 p.m. Saturday will feature the same schedule but each game will start two hours earlier.
