HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Jacksonville State used a solid outing from Kat Carter and a pair of clutch hits to split a twinbill with ULM at the Golden Eagle Invitational on Saturday.
 
The Gamecocks used a solid pitching performance from freshman Kat Carter and got a pair of clutch hits to win the opener, 3-2 in 11 innings and then fell 5-2 in the final game of the day at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. 
 
In the opener, Carter pitched all 11 innings and allowed just one earned run on only four hits to lead the Gamecocks in the first game, while Hannah Buffington delivered a tying hit in the seventh and Brantly Bonds the winning hit in the 11^th.
 
JSU put the first run on the board on a bases loaded walk to Addie Robinson. Two walks and two singles set up the RBI walk, which scored Cam McLemore to make it a 1-0 game.
 
Carter carried the Gamecocks into the seventh, tossing 6 and 1/3 innings of no-hit softball before Gabby Davila broke it up with a one-out single through the right side and scored on an Madelyn Fletcher double that tied the game at 1-1. The Warhawks would get another run on a Gamecock error to take a 2-1 lead in the inning.
 
The Gamecocks answered with some dramatics in the home half of the seventh to force extra innings. Karsen Mosley reached on a one-out single and moved to third on a pair of Kinsey Kackley wild pitches. ULM turned to reliever Gianni Hulett, who got a strikeout before Hannah Buffington delivered a two-out RBI single that scored Mosley and tied the game at 2-2.
 
Both teams exchanged zeroes for three innings, before the Gamecocks won it in the 11^th. A leadoff walk to Abbi Perkins and a Warhawk error set up Bonds' walk-off hit that found grass in left field and scored Perkins.
 
Hulett suffered the loss for the Warhawks after allowing one unearned run on three hits in four innings of relief, while Kackley tossed the first 6 and 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on eight hits and five walks.
 
Carter struck out seven and walked only one in her 11-inning outing. She faced 38 batters and allowed just one extra-base hit.
 
In the nightcap, the Gamecocks gave up five late runs to fall in the final game of the day. They scored one in the fourth to claim a 1-0 lead. Buffington doubled in Savannah Sudduth, who was running for Robinson after she doubled to right center earlier in the inning.
 
Freshman Sarah Currie held ULM off of the board until the sixth, when the Warhawks broke through with three runs on five hits and a pair of Gamecock errors. The big blow was an RBI double from Lourdes Bacon that led to another run on one of JSU's errors.
 
The Warhawks added two more in the seventh on Ashlan Ard's homer to left, making it a 5-1 ULM lead.
 
The Gamecocks got one back in the seventh on another Robinson double, this one driving in Brantly Bonds after her leadoff double in the frame.
 
Currie suffered the loss after allowing five runs, only three earned, on 11 hits in seven innings of work. Victoria Abrams earned the win, limiting JSU to two runs on nine hits in seven frames.
 
The Gamecocks will open their home slate on Wednesday, when they host Auburn at 5 p.m. at University Field. Tickets are available online at www.JSUGamecockSports.com/Tickets.