STARKVILLE, Miss. – Jacksonville State opened play in the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational on Friday with a split, falling 6-4 to Furman and then claiming a 5-2 win over Alcorn State.
The Paladins (7-7) jumped out to a 5-1 lead and held off the Gamecocks (8-7) in the opener, and a group of newcomers led JSU in the win over ASU to close the day.
In the finale, The Gamecocks got on the board first in the second, thanks to and RBI single from
Abbi Perkins and an RBI grounder from
Holly Stewart that staked freshman starter
Sarah Currie to a 2-0 lead.
That lead was stretched to 5-0 in the fifth, thanks to freshman
Hannah Buffington's first career home run. The three-run blast to left center drove in
Addie Robinson and
Savannah Sudduth to put the five-run lead on the board.
Currie held ASU hitless until the fourth and scoreless until the sixth inning, when the Braves got a pair of runs on a Kelsey Lockridge home run. She would hold them there, improving to 2-1 after allowing just two runs on four hits in seven innings of work and striking out nine batters along the way.
Brenn Ursin suffered the loss for ASU after giving up five runs on six hits in 4 and 1/3 innings of work. Ta'Niyah Fletcher tossed the final 1 and 2/3 frames, allowing just one JSU hit.
Buffington's three RBI led JSU, while
Chaney Phillips and
Megan Fortner each had a pair of hits at the plate for the Gamecocks.
In the first game of the day, Furman scored early and held on for the 6-4 win. The Paladins got a run in the first on a Natalie Morgan RBI double and then stretched their lead to 3-0 on a two-run error by the Gamecocks in the third.
The Gamecocks loaded the bases with no outs in the home half of the third and got one back on an RBI ground out by
Sidney Wagnon. However, an RBI single from Alex Rose Molinar and a wild pitch from JSU starter
Lexi Androlevich allowed two Paladin runs to score in the fourth and make it a 5-1 game.
JSU made a run in the fifth, loading the bases with one out and scoring the first run in a three-run frame on a walk to
Lindsey Richardson. Robinson drove in another run with an RBI ground out and Sudduth singled in a run that made it a one-run game.
Furman answered with an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when Hana Hashioka stretched the lead to 6-4 with her RBI single.
Androlevich (2-3) suffered the loss for JSU after allowing five runs, only two earned, on five hits in 3 and 2/3 innings in the circle.
Kat Carter came on and limited the Paladins to a run on two hits and struck out six in 3 and 1/3 innings of relief work.
Sierra Tufts started the game for Furman and earned the win after allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in 5 and 2/3 innings. Ashlyn Pisciotta grabbed the save, holding JSU scoreless on one hit over the final 1 and 1/3 innings.
JSU will continue play in the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, when they face Furman again at 10 a.m. before taking on Mississippi State at 12:30 p.m. The MSU game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
