MIAMI – Behind a three-run first inning, Jax State softball led from start to finish on Saturday despite a tight game that saw a 6-5 final decision.
The Gamecocks (20-24, 9-8 CUSA) secured the weekend series against FIU (16-26, 4-13 CUSA) with the win and will try for its first league sweep in Sunday's 1:00 ET finale.
Batting in the leadoff spot on Saturday,
Ella Pate drew a walk to begin a hot afternoon at Felsberg Field. Pate advanced to second on a single by
Linley Tubbs, and the duo each raced all the way home on
Morgan Nowakowski's triple down the right field line.
With a three-run advantage, starter
Sarah Currie opened with three scoreless frames from the circle. Jax State extended the lead to 4-0 on
Kenzie Nicholson's first RBI single of the day in the top of the fourth inning. Nicholson and
Ashley Phillips each went 2-for-2 from the plate, driving in three of Jax State's six runs.
FIU finally cracked the scoreboard in the fourth inning, scoring three runs overall before Currie's day came to a close with two outs. Sophomore
Jaliyah Holmes entered and got out of the fourth before turning in two innings of relief which featured three hits and two runs allowed. Similar to Currie exiting in a two-out jam and 4-3 lead, Holmes gave way to
Kat Carter with a 6-5 lead and two outs in the sixth. Carter, coming off a complete game on Friday, retired four-straight Panther hitter en route to her first save of the season.
The Gamecocks will try for the program's first CUSA sweep on Sunday afternoon when the two teams close out the weekend at 1 ET/12 noon CT.
