HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Led by career days in the circle by MacKinley Portillo and Jaliyah Holmes, Jax State swept another day at the Southern Miss Black and Gold Challenge with a 13-1 win over Lamar and 6-0 victory versus Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
 
The Gamecocks (13-6) have won all four of their games in Hattiesburg this weekend, outscoring their opponents, 26-2, in the process. Jax State finishes the weekend slate taking on the host Golden Eagles on Sunday.
 
Sophomore MacKinley Portillo allowed just one run on three hits in her second complete game of the season. Her career-high eight strikeouts were more than enough from the circle as she was backed by an explosive Jax State offense that reeled off a season-high 13 runs in the win.
 
Lamar (9-8) topped Jax State in one category – home runs – after the Cardinals lifted a solo shot out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Meanwhile, all 13 Gamecock runs came with the ball in play, and eight of the 13 runs came with two outs.  
 
The scoring came in bunches when the Gamecocks plated five in the second inning and eight more in the fourth to force the run-rule after five frames.
 
The second inning damage came after Hannah Buffington stood alone at first base with two outs. From there, Jaci Underwood walked, Emma Elrod doubles home Buffington and the momentum didn't stop. Morgan Nowakowski scored Underwood and Elrod on her triple to right field and came home to make it 4-0 when Amber Reed reached on an error. The Gamecocks made it all the way through the batting lineup when Abbi Perkins stepped into the box before a hit that would score Reed.
 
In the fourth, the first seven Gamecock hitters reached first base. Jax State forced a trio of Cardinals to throw from the circle as the Gamecocks continued to pour on the runs. Ainsley Grimes drove in two on a pinch-hit double on one of the just two extra-base hits in the frame. The rest of the offense came on four singles, three drawn walks and a fielder's choice.
 
It was the same song, second verse for game two of the day against UAPB where junior starter Jaliyah Holmes set her own career-high in strikeouts with 14 in a seven-inning shutout gem. The 14-K effort matched Kat Carter's team-high performance against James Madison last weekend.
 
With the opposing lineup shut down for the second game in a row, Jax State tacked on a single run in the first, third and fifth inning to slowly pull away from the Golden Lions. Freshman Kailey Martin padded the margin in the sixth with a 2-RBI single.
 
Martin drove in three runs total Saturday on 5-of-7 hitting at the plate for a .857 slugging mark for both games. She was one of five Gamecocks to drive in multiple runs along with Nowakowski (3), Reed (2), Grimes (2) and Abbi Perkins (2).
 
Jax State faces Southern Miss at 10:00 Sunday morning. The Gamecocks won 4-0 in Friday's first meeting of the weekend.