SATURDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee State 11, Maryland Eastern Shore 1 (5)
Eastern Kentucky 6, Central Connecticut State 1
South Alabama 8,
Murray State 6
Jacksonville State 5, Arkansas 4
Savannah State 4,
Tennessee State 4
Jacksonville State 4, Wright State 3
JACKSONVILLE STATE 5, AKRANSAS 4; JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, WRIGHT STATE 3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -The Jacksonville State softball team upended host Arkansas 5-4 and then got a walk-off 4-3 win over Wright State on Saturday to advance to Sunday's Championship of the Woo Pig Classic.
In the final game of the round-robin portion of the tournament, the Gamecocks (11-8) grabbed an early lead and held on for the one-run win over the Razorbacks (14-6). They had to use a different means to down the Raiders (2-12) in the first round of bracket play, overcoming a 3-0 deficit before getting a walk-off sac fly from junior Kalee Tabor in the seventh inning for the win.
JSU has now won nine of its last 11 games, with its lone two losses coming to Atlantic Coast Conference foes Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. The Gamecocks will play Arkansas again at 12:30 p.m. CT on Sunday for the Woo Pig Classic Title.
Senior Hilary Phillips stymied the Razorbacks' bats in the first game of the day, limiting them to a run on three hits in 5.1 innings in the circle. The Ider, Ala., native struck out three and walked a pair to improve to 2-0 on the season. Junior Savanna Hennings got the final three outs of the game to earn her first save.
The Gamecock offense went to work early for Phillips, getting her a 2-0 lead before she toed the rubber in the bottom of the first. Fellow senior Kelci Johnston laced a two-out, two-run single to center in the top of the inning, giving the Gamecocks a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Nicole Schroeder got the Razorbacks on the board in the second with a leadoff home run, but the Gamecocks and junior Amanda Martinez answered with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth. Martinez, a native of Tuscon Ariz., delivered a two-run single in the fourth and then an RBI double in the sixth to put her team up 5-1.
Arkansas refused to go quietly in the home half of the seventh. Junior Tiffany Harbin issued a pair of walks to set up a three-run homer to right from Chloe Oprzedek that cut the Gamecocks' lead to 5-4. After Devon Wallace singled in the next at bat, Hennings entered the game and retired the next three batters to close the win.
Kimmie Beasley suffered the loss for the Razorbacks by allowing four runs, two earned, pn six hits ion 4.2 innings of work. She did strike out 10 batters and walked two. Chelsea Cohen gave up the other run on one hit in 2.1 innings in the circle, striking out six and walking one.
In the bracket semifinal against Wright State, the Raiders drew first blood by grabbing a run in the first and two more in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. The Gamecocks began to battle at that point, getting a two-out double from Johnston and then a two-run home run from freshman Cadi Oliver that cut their deficit to one run.
That score remained until the sixth, when sophomore Sara Borders' leadoff home run tied the game and set the stage for JSU to win it in the seventh. A Wright State error got things started for the Gamecocks, when Krystal Ruth reached on a one-out miscue by third baseman Kacie Rapshus. Phillips entered to pinch run for Ruth before Jessica Guy and Borders then walked to load the bases, setting up Tabor's fly ball to center that drove in Phillips for the walk-off win.
Harbin (7-3) earned the win in her sixth complete game in nine starts this season. The native of Hazel Green, Ala., allowed three runs, only two earned, on four hits while striking out nine in seven strong innings.
Montana Wear started the game for the Raiders and held JSU to three runs on six hits in just over six innings in the circle. She struck out six and walked three before making way for reliever Krystian DeWitt. DeWitt suffered the loss despite not allowing a hit and retiring two batters in the seventh.
SOUTH ALABAMA 8, MURRAY STATE 6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A five-run fifth inning propelled South Alabama past the Murray State softball team, 8-6, for the second consecutive day on Saturday at the Magic City Classic in Birmingham. The Racers’ first game of the day against Nicholls State was canceled due to inclement weather.
The Jaguars (15-2) were first on the board in the contest when they scored two in the second inning. Both runs came courtesy of Kaitlyn Griffith who belted her third home run of the year over the wall in center field, scoring Haley Fagan in the process.
However, the Racers (4-7) answered in a big way in the bottom half of the inning with six runs of their own. The scoring barrage was started by Ellyn Troup, as the second batter of the inning, with a solo home run and was capped by a two-run bomb from Alexa Becker.
The score held until the fifth when the South Alabama once again found its offensive stroke and took a 7-6 lead with a five-run frame. The Jaguars scored three of the runs in the inning off of a pair of RBI-singles, but got some help from Murray State on the other two with an error and a wild pitch.
South Alabama added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Fagan, leaving the Racers with a two-run deficit to cover and just three outs to do it. In the bottom of the frame, Mo Ramsey led off the inning with a bunt single to put the tying run at the plate. However, the Racers were unable to muster any offense and fell, 8-6.
Becker finished the day with one run on one hit with two RBIs, while Shelbey Miller went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Mo Ramsey went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
CheyAnne Gaskey took the loss for the Racers after allowing three earned runs off of two hits over 0.1 innings. Shelby Kosmecki tossed the other 6.2 for the Racers and allowed two earned runs off of five hits with eight strikeouts.
TENNESSEE STATE 11, MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 1; SAVANNAH STATE 8, TENNESSEE STATE 4
IRONDALE, Ala. - Tennessee State used the long ball to earn a split on the second day of the Tiny Lassiter HBCU Classic. The Tigers endured wind chill temperatures of 28 degrees and snow throughout the day as they slugged their way past Maryland-Eastern Shore 11-1 in five innings before going dropping the night cap, 8-4, to Savannah State.
Audrey Sensing continued her hot weekend with her second straight three hit game as she blasted her first two collegiate home runs in the first contest. She added a double in her final at bat versus SSU and finished the day with five RBI and a stolen base.
Jayna Hanawahine hit her second home run of the season in the first game against UMES and just missed another by six inches in game two. Her second hit was good for a double.
Shea Morris (2-6) took to the circle in game one and allowed just one unearned run. Morris fanned six batters over five innings and was touched for just three hits and one walk.
The Tigers took full advantage of the pitching performance as they scored at least one run in each inning. Kiarra Freeman worked her way around the bases in the first inning by reaching on a single and immediately stealing second. After a wild pitch moved her to third, Freeman scored easily on a sacrifice fly by Kacie Daugherty making the score 1-0.
TSU would explode for seven runs before an out was recorded in the second inning. Jennifer Givens got things started with a ball into centerfield allowing Tayler Shimizu and Kate Morris to score. Two batters later, Kacie Daugherty hit a drive into left center that was cut off before getting to the fence. The speed of Freeman allowed the freshman to score from first, just behind Givens and Brianna Roberts. Sensing would cap off the inning with the first of her two blasts that pushed Daugherty home and an 8-0 Tiger lead.
UMES scored their lone run in the second inning, but TSU wasted no time getting it back as Givens would take advantage of a passed ball in the third inning to make the score 9-1. Hanawahine’s line drive home run to left in the fourth and Sensing’s towering blast to center in the fifth closed out the run count for TSU.
Savannah State used nine hits, seven walks and four Tiger errors to get the best of pitcher Olivia Gamache (1-5). The Exeter, R.I., product struck out two and was tagged with just two earned runs.
TSU found themselves down 5-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth inning. The Tigers would start to chip away at the lead as Hanawahine led off with the double off the fence in center and scored on a two out single off the bat of Lindsay Burgess. Sensing’s two out double to right in the fifth brought home Roberts and inched TSU closer to Savannah State.
In the sixth, Kate Morris hit the first home run of her career with a hard line drive over the left field fence. The long ball cut the SSU lead to 5-3, but the comeback was put on hold as the orange and blue Tigers picked up three of their own runs in the top of the seventh to extend the lead back to five at 8-3.
TSU would mount another comeback in the bottom half of the seventh by loading the bases with no outs on a walk by Roberts and back-to-back singles by Givens and Freeman. Sensing notched her second RBI of the game bringing home Roberts on a fielder’s choice to the shortstop making the score 8-4. That would be as close as the Tigers would get as Maddison Hedderly retired the next three Tigers in order.
Givens extended her hit streak to six games as she ended the day 4-for-5 with a walk, a sacrifice, two runs scored and two RBI. Freeman was 3-for-7 on the afternoon and upped her hitting streak to five games. The freshman outfielder was credited with a sacrifice and crossed home plate twice.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 1; LOYOLA 4, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
CLEARWATER, Fla. - – Sophomore pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger struck out a career-high 14 batters and senior Raquel Howes went 3-for-3 at the plate as the Eastern Kentucky University softball team defeated Central Connecticut at the 2013 Under Amour Classic Saturday morning, 6-1. The Colonels dropped the second game of the day to Loyola Chicago, 4-1.
EKU (9-4) has now split games in two straight days of competition at the Under Armour Classic hosted by USF.
In the first game Saturday, Pittsenbarger tossed her third complete game of the season. She struck out the side three times against CCSU (1-2) and gave up the only run in the fifth inning.
Meanwhile, Howes was a home run away from the cycle. The second baseman put Eastern on the board first with an RBI triple in the second inning. Howes added a single in the fourth and a run-producing double in the fifth when the Colonels scored three times.
Junior Christina Ciolek chipped in with two hits, an RBI and three runs scored against the Blue Devils.
A three-run second inning would be enough for Loyola Chicago (3-3) in the afternoon game. The Colonels were held to a season-low three hits in the loss.