CONWAY, Ark. – The Jacksonville State softball team dropped both games of its doubleheader at Central Arkansas on Friday night, when the Bears clinched the 2022 ASUN Conference West Division.
The Gamecocks (30-21, 13-10 ASUN) entered the series just a game behind the first-place Bears (32-18, 16-7 ASUN). They dropped a 4-3 decision in the opener and fell victim to Jordan Johnson's five-inning no-hitter in an 8-0 second game. UCA secures the division crown with one game remaining in the regular season.
The first game of the day was a pitchers' duel early on. The Gamecocks'
Kat Carter and the Bears' Kayla Beaver took a scoreless battle into the fourth inning, when UCA was the first team to break through. Tremere Harris led off the inning with a single, stole second and scored on a Morgan Nelson bunt single to make it a 1-0 game.
The Bears added three more in the fifth, an inning that was highlighted by Jaylee Engelkes' two-run single that made it a 4-0 UCA lead.
The Gamecocks didn't go quietly, scoring three in the sixth on an
Addie Robinson homer that cut their deficit to a run.
Karsen Mosley led off the inning with a double and
Camryn McLemore followed with a one-out single that brought Robinson up with two on.
The senior from Five Points, Ala., went the other way, driving her team-leading eighth home run over the wall in right center and taking over the team's RBI lead at 34. She has now hit six homers in her last nine games.
That would be all JSU would get before falling in the game. Carter (16-10) suffered the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings of work. She struck out four and threw just 90 pitches.
Beaver (18-7) earned the win, limiting the Gamecocks to three runs on eight hits in six innings. She struck out nine before giving way to Johnson, who struck out two in a perfect seventh to earn her third save of the season.
In the second game of the day, UCA got a pair of runs in the first and never looked back behind Johnson's solid outing. She struck out five and hit a batter, which was the only blemish on her pitching line. She improved to 12-11 on the season.
Sarah Currie (12-7) suffered the loss for JSU after giving up four runs on four hits and a pair of walks in three innings in the circle.
Lexi Androlevich pitched the final innings for JSU and gave up four runs on one hit and three walks.
The two teams will conclude the regular season on Saturday at 1 p.m.
