JACKSONVILLE – The freshman duo of
Kat Carter and
Sarah Currie tossed a pair on one-hitters to lead the Jacksonville State softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Bellarmine on Saturday at University Field.
Carter limited the Knights (10-37, 1-19 ASUN Conference) to a second-inning single in an 8-0 Gamecocks (29-19, 12-8 ASUN) win in the opener. Currie answered in the second game allowing a fourth-inning single in a 6-0 JSU win.
Carter, a native of Spring Hill, Tenn., faced the minimum 15 batters in her five-inning, mercy-rule win. BU's Emily O'Dee pushed a grounder through the right side with one out in the second but was thrown out by
Abbi Perkins trying to steal second. Carter retired the next 10 batters she faced to end the game.
The Gamecocks gave her plenty of run support and gave it to her early. They plated six first-inning runs, all via the long ball. Senior
Addie Robinson belted an opposite field grand slam to get JSU on the board and junior
Brantly Bonds hit a two-run shot that put Carter and JSU up 6-0 early on.
JSU didn't score again until the fifth, when it scored the final two runs to make the mercy rule kick in. Robinson was hit by a pitch to start the frame and pinch runner
Savannah Sudduth moved to third on a single from freshman
Hannah Buffington.
Lauren Hunt, Buffington's pinch runner, stole second and drew and errant throw from catcher Abby Shipley that allowed Sudduth to score and make it a 7-0 game.
Pinch hitter
Holly Stewart drove a pitch off the wall in left center, scoring Hunt from second and sealing the JSU win to start the day. Carter (15-9) needed just 36 pitches in her 18
th complete game and seventh shutout of the season.
Bellarmine's Claire (5-16) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on three hits, a hit batter and two walks and retiring just two batters. Megan Murphy pitched 3 and 1/3 innings and held JSU scoreless on a hit and three walks, and Carson Goatley surrendered the other two runs on two hits and two hit batters.
JSU scattered six hits among six players, while Robinson,
Sidney Wagnon,
Karsen Mosley and
Megan Fortner each reached base twice.
In the nightcap, Currie (12-8) took a perfect game into the fourth before a walk to Alexis Hargrove and Hannah Webb's grounder up the middle gave the Knights their first base runners of the game. She would retire the next 11 BU batters to close out the game and secure her 12
th complete game and third shutout of 2022. Currie tossed 94 pitches in her seven-inning gem that also saw her strike out eight Knight batters.
JSU also gave Currie and early lead, scoring three first-inning runs on a three-run Fortner homer to left. The Cedar Hill, Mo., native followed back-to-back walks to Wagnon and Mosley by driving the first pitch she saw through the wind and over the wall.
JSU's other three runs came in the fourth, thanks to a bases-loaded walk of Sudduth and a two-run double from Mosley that staked Currie to the 6-0 advantage.
Murphy (1-9) suffered the loss for BU, allowing six runs on six hits and four walks in three innings in the circle. Lehmkuhler threw the final three innings and allowed just two hits and walked one.
The Gamecocks will go for the sweep on Sunday, when they wrap up the three-game series with the Knights at 1 p.m. at University Field. It will be Senior Day for the JSU Softball program, which will honor seven senior members in a pregame ceremony.
