TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After maintaining a tie up until the bottom of the fifth inning, the Jax State softball team was unable to hold back the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide on the road, falling 10-3 to Alabama on Wednesday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium.
The Gamecocks and the Crimson Tide were knotted up at three runs apiece up until the fifth frame when Alabama proceeded to score seven runs across the fifth and sixth innings to ultimately put the game out of reach.
Alabama struck first on the scoreboard, following an RBI single to take the lead in the bottom of the first, but the lead would not last long as Jax State retaliated in the third inning with
Amber Reed's two-RBI double to bring home
Jaci Underwood and
Morgan Nowakowski to make it a 2-1 game.
The Crimson Tide fired back immediately with a solo home run in the bottom of the third to reclaim the lead once more, but the Gamecocks responded with a solo home run as well, off the bat of
Emma Elrod to left field to tie it up at three runs apiece. However, it would be the final run that Jax State could manage.
Breaking the tie in the bottom of the fifth was Alabama's Jena Young who hit a three-run home run to put the Crimson Tide back in front with a 6-3 score. Alabama extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth after a flurry of hits, including a solo home run to lead it off and secure the win.
As a team, the Gamecocks tallied three hits, with Elrod, Nowakowski and Reed responsible for one each. Additionally, Reed was responsible for a pair of RBIs, while Elrod claimed the other.
Elrod's home run in the fifth marks the fourth straight game that the Gamecocks have hit a home run, along with Reed's double which is also the fourth straight game that Jax State hit a two-bagger.
The Gamecocks will continue their road trip down south to Miami to take on FIU for a three-game series, beginning on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. at Felsberg Field.
