FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Alabama 4,
Jacksonville State 0
ALABAMA 4, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Jacksonville State softball team couldn't break through against No. 10 Alabama in Friday's first round of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, falling to the Crimson Tide 4-0 at Rhoads Stadium.
Both the Gamecocks (30-26) and the Crimson Tide (43-13) stranded 10 runners on base during the game, but Alabama was able to push enough across to advance in the winner's bracket. JSU falls into the loser's bracket of the four-team, double-elimination bracket, where it will face USC Upstate at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Alabama will play Western Kentucky at 1 p.m.
Senior Cara Longworth had two hits for the Gamecocks, who scattered eight against the Crimson Tide, who used speed to get on the board and then power to extend the lead.
Junior Tiffany Harbin (17-14) suffered the loss after surrendering four runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings in the circle. She walked four and didn't record a strikeout. Junior Savanna Hennings tossed the final 1.2 innings for the Gamecocks and allowed no runs on two hits.
With ace Jackie Traina injured, Alabama turned to Leslie Jury (17-7), who held JSU scoreless on eight hits in seven innings in the circle. She struck out four and walked one and had to dodge trouble several times.
Leadoff hitter Kayla Braud went 3-for-4 to get things started for the UA lineup, while Courtney Conley went 2-for-3 with a home run.
Alabama got on the board in the home half of the third. Kayla Braud started things with a bunt single that was followed by a Ryan Iamurri single through the left side. After both runners advanced on a dropped pop up that was ruled an infield fly, Molly Fichtner laced a two-strike pitch into center to plate both runners and but the Crimson Tide up 2-0.
UA threatened again in the fourth by loading the bases with no outs, but JSU managed to get out of it. Iamurri hit one sharply to Cara Longworth at third, where she touched the bag and then threw lead runner Keima Davis out at the plate for a very untraditional 5-2 double play. Harbin then got McCleney to ground out to second to end the threat.
JSU put together a threat of its own in the top of the fifth with a leadoff infield single from Hayden Crawford, who moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on an Ella Denes ground out. Jury got Krystal Ruth to pop up to shallow left and then Jessica Guy to ground out to first to end the inning.
The Crimson Tide turned to their power in the bottom of the fifth with Hunt and Spencer's back-to-back homers that put Alabama on top 4-0.
JSU got three-straight two-out singles from Kelci Johnston, Cadi Oliver and Cara Longworth to load the bases for Crawford. The Sparkman, Ala., native roped one down the third base line, but Courtney Conley's backhanded grab at the bag saved at least two runs and ended the inning with Alabama still leading by four.
An error that allowed Ella Denes to reach and an infield single from Ruth started things in the seventh, but the Gamecocks couldn't get anything across to end the game.