LAS CRUCES, N.M. – It wasn't meant to be for Jax State softball at the 2024 Conference USA tournament as the desert sun set on the Gamecocks' long year following a pair of difficult losses.
Jax State, the fifth-seed in the tournament, drew the unfortunate matchup of a No. 4 seed in New Mexico State that happened to be the tournament host for the opener. Following an 8-7 extra-inning setback to the Aggies, the Gamecocks were forced to hang around until later in the afternoon for an evening contest with UTEP that resulted in another tough finish with a 7-6 loss.
Senior
Emma Jones-Hubbard did all she could to advance her Gamecocks to another day. The Anniston, Ala., native, hit .500, drove in four RBI and reached first base three other times via a walk or hit-by-pitch. Just ahead of Jones-Hubbard, sophomore
Kenzie Nicholson, bumped to the top of the lineup for the two tournament games, played the leadoff role perfectly hitting .333 with three RBI and likewise reached base on three other occasions where she ultimately stole a pair of bases. CUSA All-Freshman Team selection
Megan Rasmussen collected a couple of hits and came around to score three times in her postseason debut.
Facing NMSU and CUSA Player of the Year Desirae Spearman, the Gamecocks were no-hit through four innings. While the offense sputtered, junior
Kat Carter kept Jax State within reach escaping two bases-loaded jams to limit NMSU to single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
In the sixth, Jax State finally got to Spearman as she lost the zone. A bases-loaded walk to
Ella Pate drove in the Gamecocks' first run and a hit batter (Jones-Hubbard) and walk to
Morgan Nowakowski, along with an RBI single by Nicholson suddenly saw Jax State grab its first lead. Senior
Lindsey Richardson added an RBI single to cap the scoring with a 5-3 advantage.
In the seventh, NMSU rallied with back-to-back solo homeruns to force extras. With winds blowing 15-18 mph consistently, the Aggies caught one more break by a longball in the eighth on an otherwise routine flyball that cleared the fence for a walkoff victory at 8-7.
In the nightcap, Jax State extended its lead to 6-0 following a 3-run bases-clearing double by Jones-Hubbard in the fourth inning. The Gamecocks had the run-rule winning run at second in the fifth, before UTEP got out of a jam and quickly flipped the scrip. After finally cracking the scoreboard, a 3-run homer for the Miners chased started
Jaliyah Holmes from what began as a terrific start.
Still a 6-4 lead heading to the seventh, a leadoff walk began a nightmarish inning that sent
Jordan Eslinger,
Amber Reed and
MacKinley Portillo all to the circle trying to close out the game from a Miner club that would not go away. Following three runs for UTEP to take the lead, Jax State still fought back in the bottom half with a chance to force extras. Rasmussen stood in scoring position when Pate, who's sharp batter eye had already drawn two bases-loaded walks earlier in the day, watched another outside pitch get rung up for strike three to slam the breaks on a Jax State comeback.
Jax State finishes the 2024 season 23-30.
