JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State softball team dropped a pair of two-run games on Friday to open its Ohio Valley Conference series with SIU-Edwardsville.
The Gamecocks had both games tied in the latter innings, but the Cougars were able to plate a pair of late runs to win both. They won the first game 6-4 and the second game 4-2.
In the first game, the Gamecocks struck early with a two-run first inning and grabbed the early lead. The four-hit inning was capped by
Karsen Mosley's triple to left center that scored
Jada Terry and
Alexus Jimmerson to put a 2-0 advantage on the board.
The Cougars tied it in the third on Bailley Concatto's two-run homer to right, but JSU answered in the home half. Mosley came through again with a two-out single to left that scored Terry, who reached on a one-out single and stole second to move into scoring position.
JSU extended its lead to 4-2 in the fifth on Terry's deep sac fly to center, one that scored
Savannah Sudduth after her leadoff single started the inning.
SIUE scored two in each of the final two frames, using a two-run homer from Grace Lueke in the sixth to tie it and an RBI double from Concatto and an RBI single from Lexi King in the seventh to take a two-run lead.
The Gamecocks threatened in the home half of the seventh by loading the bases with two outs, but Mosley's grounder to short ended it.
Sydney Baalman (1-3) earned the win in the circle after throwing a total of 6 and 1/3 innings and allowing four runs on 10 hits. She struck out five in the win.
Reagan Watkins pitched the first six frames for JSU and surrendered four runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out six.
Hannah Brown (1-2) pitched the final inning and suffered the loss in relief after giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.
Mosley was 3-for-4 with three RBI for JSU in the game, while Terry and Sudduth were both 2-for-3. Concatto led SIUE by going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In the second game of the day, the Cougars scored two in the first on a King RBI triple and a Zoe Schafer RBI single, but the Gamecocks battled back this time.
They scored one on
Chaney Phillips' second-inning RBI triple and another in the third on a Jimmerson double down the left field line.
The Cougars reclaimed the lead in the fifth, thanks to a leadoff homer from Alana Cobb-Adams and an RBI single from Schafer. JSU didn't have a baserunner in the final three innings, as SIUE held on.
Jimmerson (1-4) suffered the loss in the circle for JSU, surrendering four runs, three earned, on six hits and a pair of walks in 4 and 1/3 innings. She struck out two.
Nicole Rodriguez pitched the final 2 and 2/3 innings, striking out three and allowing just one SIUE hit.
Emily Ingles (1-4) earned the win in relief for the Cougars after tossing the final four innings in which she faced the minimum 12 batters and struck out three. King started and gave up two runs on four hits in her three innings of work.
The Gamecocks and Cougars will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday with a single game that will start at 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
