JACKSONVILLE – Another Sunday and another rubber match victory for Jax State softball, this time dispatching New Mexico State, 6-1, at Jana McGinnis Field.
 
The Gamecocks (17-22, 6-6 CUSA) have won each of their last three CUSA series to run their league record back to .500. The last three weekends have come down to a weekend-deciding third game and the Gamecocks have won them all. NMSU (21-15, 7-5 CUSA) remain a game ahead of Jax State in the standings, but fall from their third-place spot from the start of the weekend.
 
Junior Kat Carter tossed another gem, her second of the weekend. She gave up a leadoff home run to NMSU's Desirae Spearman to open the game, before settling in to finish the remaining seven innings with just four hits allowed and six strikeouts. After shutting out the Aggies on Friday night, Carter finished the series with a 2-0 mark and 0.58 ERA.
 
Carter still had to work from behind for half of the afternoon until the Gamecocks poured on five runs in a momentum-shifting fourth inning. Megan Rasmussen reached base with one out courtesy of a hit-by-pitch. In an effort to move her over to second, Kenzie Nicholson laid down a bunts that saw an errant throw allow both runners to move into scoring position. A wild pitch from starter Emily Dix allowed Rasmussen to score from third to tie the game at 1-1. Morgan Nowakowski then walked, bringing an end to Nix's first session in the circle.
 
Spearman, who pitched for NMSU Friday night, moved to the circle from left field. She got Linley Tubbs to pop out after a lengthy delay for a rules confirmation on Spearman's throwing motion. But with two outs, the biggest hit of the day came off the bat of MaKalyn Kyser who lifted a 3-run homer over the fence. Still struggling with her motion, Spearman was sent back to left field in favor of Jaileen Macha. The third Aggie pitcher of the frame didn't change the course either as Ella Pate followed Kyser with a solo home run of her own, the first of her career. Dix returned to pitch the remainder of the game for NMSU.
 
Staked to a 5-1 advantage, Carter struck out three of her next four batters faced and never ran into trouble the rest of the day. Emma Jones-Hubbard added a run for Jax State in the fifth when she reached on a single up the middle, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and then scored on Rasmussen's sacrifice to left field. Jones-Hubbard, the conference leader in stolen bases, has reached base in 23 straight games.
 
Winners of seven of their last nine games, Jax State has a week without travel or midweek action before hosting Louisiana Tech next weekend at Jana McGinnis Field.