COLUMBIA, S.C. – Jax State picked up its first win of the season early Sunday in the final game of the Carolina Classic as the Gamecocks topped UNC-Greensboro, 6-3.
The star Sunday was freshman pitcher
MacKinley Portillo, who in her collegiate debut earned the win in the circle tossing a complete game. The Douglas, Ala., native, saw some early struggles but settled in to finish with five strikeouts and only five hits allowed. Jax State stranded eight UNCG Spartans on the bases and sealed the game turning a double play for the final outs.
The action came early as all nine of the game's runs were scored in the first two innings. After Portillo worked out of a second-and-third with one out jam in the top of the first to hold UNCG scoreless, the Gamecocks took the first lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Emma Jones would reach base on an error to start the inning. Jax State took advantage of a trio of Spartan errors to score their six total runs on just five hits. Once Jones stole second, she came around to score on a
Kenzie Nicholson double. Nicholson later made it a 2-0 Gamecock lead when she came across the plate on an RBI groundout from
Lindsey Richardson.
UNCG made its only damage offensively in the top of the second scoring three runs to take the lead. A couple of walks came back to hurt Portillo when a single to left was mishandled allowing two runs to score. The Spartans then went ahead on an RBI triple before the Gamecocks closed the inning.
It didn't take long for Jax State to respond when
Makalyn Kyser drew a walk and
Caroline Lively reached on a throwing error after her sac-bunt attempt.
Hannah Buffington then brought Kyser home to tie the game with her own sacrifice bunt. Lively then gave the Gamecocks a 4-3 lead scoring on a single by Jones. Once Jones stole her second base of the day and Nicholson reached first, the two raced around for two more runs on
Morgan Nowakowski's double to right field.
Jax State's six RBI came off the bat of five different Gamecocks. UNCG made a pitching change in the second bringing in Salem Ward who would go the final 4.2 innings and quiet the Gamecock bats to just two hits and a walk.
The 6-3 lead after two would hold the rest of the way as Portillo settled in for a solid finish. After a leadoff walk in the third, she retired the next three batters, included two on strikeouts. She then went three up and three down in the sixth. In the final frame, a leadoff runner allowed by a fielding error was erased to finish the game when Nicholson and Jones connected to start a double-play for the final outs.
With the opening win in the books, the Gamecocks return home before heading off to Chattanooga for next weekend's tournament. Jax State opens play against Murray State and Ball State on Friday.
