JACKSONVILLE – After falling behind to a 7-2 deficit on Friday night, the Jacksonville State softball team rallied for seven consecutive runs and the victory in the series opening 9-7 win against the Kennesaw State Owls.
After falling behind 4-0 in the second inning, the Gamecocks (25-17) added a pair of runs before allowing a trio of unearned Kennesaw State (10-31) runs in the fourth.
After both teams ended the first frame scoreless, Jax State and Kennesaw combined for six runs in the second. The Owls tacked on four in the top of the inning before
Makalyn Kyser hit an RBI double before scoring on a wild pitch, cutting the KSU lead to 4-2.
A pair of errors and hits led to the Owls extending their lead to 7-2 in the top of the fourth. Jax State answered in the home half when
Ashley Phillips launched a solo shot to lead off the frame and cut the lead down to four.
After
Jaci Underwood reached base from an error to lead off the fifth,
Aria Davis tacked on an RBI triple for the first run of the game. Kyser and Phillips walked on back-to-back plate appearances to load the bases.
Emma Elrod doubled home two runs with the bases loaded before
Morgan Nowakowski hit a game-tying sacrifice fly to even the score at seven all.
Kyser came up clutch once again, going back up the middle for an RBI single to take the lead in the sixth. Phillips added an insurance run, getting down the safety squeeze bunt and reaching base safely.
Jax State junior
Jordan Eslinger closed out the ballgame with a pair of seventh inning strikeouts, earning her seventh victory of the season.
Despite Kennesaw tallying seven runs, Eslinger and Jax State starter
Kat Carter combined to allow zero earned runs across 7.0 innings of action while striking out seven. Eslinger finished the game one strikeout shy of her career high.
With a first inning single,
Haleigh Cushingberry extended her hitting streak to 10 games, the second longest streak by any Gamecock this season. With a hit in Saturday's contest, she will tie the longest streak set by Elrod at 11.
Jax State and KSU return to Jana McGinnis Field on Saturday, April 12 for a 2 p.m. first pitch in the second game of the series.
Admission to all Jax State Softball games is free courtesy of Martin's Family Clothing.
