FRIDAY'S SCORES
Jacksonville State 18, @Morehaed State 3 (5)
Jacksonville State 8, @Morehead State 0 (5)
@Eastern Kentucky 9, Tennessee Tech 4
@Eastern Kentucky 13, Tennessee Tech 3 (5)
JACKSONVILLE STATE 18, MOREHEAD STATE 3; JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Jana McGinnis eclipsed the 900 win mark in her Jacksonville State career on Friday, when her Gamecock softball team swept a doubleheader at Morehead State to open Ohio Valley Conference play.
The Gamecocks (18-6, 2-0 OVC) used the mercy rule to thump the Eagles (2-19, 0-2 OVC) in both games of the twinbill. McGinnis' 900thwin came in the form of an 18-3 win in the opener, while the sweep was capped off by an 8-0 win in the nightcap.
The winningest active coach in the Ohio Valley Conference, McGinnis becomes just the 23rdactive coach in Div. I with 900 career wins. She is now 901-488 in her 26thseason as the Gamecocks' head coach and has accounted for all but 102 of the 1,003 wins in the program's 32-year history.
Friday's wins came in dominant fashion, with JSU hitting a combined .455 over the two games, while holding the Eagles to a .171 average. The Gamecocks outscored MSU 26-3, outhit the Eagles 25-6 and hit six homers over the two games.
Freshman Karsen Mosley got her OVC career off to a hot start, going 5-for-6 with two home runs and seven RBI over the two games, while senior Taylor Beshears and sophomore Hannahstaysia Weaver were each 4-for-6. Senior Anna Chisolm drove in six runs over both games.
Senior Faith Sims (11-1) started and earned the win in both games on Friday. She worked the first three innings of the opener and left with an 18-0 lead, allowing her to toss all five innings in the finale. The Cordova, Ala., native allowed just two hits, both infield singles, in eight innings in the circle. She struck out 10 Eagle batters and held them to a .080 batting average.
The Gamecocks set the tone for the day in the first inning of the opening game, scoring six runs in an inning that was highlighted by a two-run homer from Mosley and a three-run shot by Hayley Sims. RBI hits by Beshears, Chisolm and Amber Jones in the second gave JSU a 9-0 lead after just two frames.
Mosley drove in two more in the third to spark a four-run inning, while a pinch-hit, two-run homer by freshman Anna Hood capped a five-run fourth.
Faith Sims grabbed that win after tossing three scoreless innings that saw her allow an infield single and strike out six. She beat starter Randi Hamilton (2-4), who gave up six runs on six hits in just under three innings in the circle.
Mosley, Weaver and Beshears were each 2-for-3 in the opening game, while Chisolm and Hayley Sims joined Mosley as three players with four RBI apiece.
In the second game, Faith Sims and Lakyn Largent took a scoreless game into the fourth inning, when JSU finally broke through with six runs.
Alexus Jimmerson started the big inning with a leadoff homer, while Mosley finished the frame off with a three-run blast to center. Chisolm capped the scoring with a two-run shot in the fifth that tied her with Beshears for the team lead with nine homers this season.
Faith Sims finished with a one-hitter in the second game, striking out four and walking just one in her fourth complete game shutout of the season.
Largent (0-11) allowed six runs on eight hits and a pair of walks in 3 and 2/3 innings. Weaver, Beshears, Mosley and Chisolm were each 2-for-3 in the second game to lead the Gamecocks offense.
Eleven different Gamecocks recorded at least one hit in the doubleheader, while eight players drove in at least one run.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 9, TENNESSEE TECH 4; EASTERN KENTUCKY 13, TENNESSEE TECH 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team opened conference play with a pair of wins against Tennessee Tech on Friday.
EKU (15-10, 2-0 OVC) defeated the Golden Eagles, 9-4, in game one. In game two, the Colonels won, 13-3, in five innings.
In game one, the Colonels used a six run third inning to take the lead, 7-2, and did not look back.
In that inning, Hannah Clark came to the plate with the bases loaded and the game tied 2-2, and she deposited the 1-1 pitch over the left center field fence to clear the bases and take a 6-2 lead. Carly Robinson wasted no time following suit, sending the first pitch of her at-bat down the left field line and over the wall to take a 7-2 lead over the Golden Eagles.
Eastern struck first after back-to-back doubles by Destinee Lizzmore and Sammi Miller to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Tennessee Tech (10-13, 0-2 OVC) answered back with a solo home run in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1. TTU took the lead after scoring a run in the top of the third, but that was the last lead the Golden Eagles would have.
Tennessee Tech scored two more in the fifth, but Eastern answered right back with two more runs of its own to take the 9-4 lead.
Bethany Todd (3-0) started in the circle and went four and one-third innings while striking out two and picking up the win.
Mollie Paulick picked up her third save on the year after tossing one and one-third scoreless innings.
Lizzmore went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBIs. Miller was 3-for-4 with one RBI. Clark chipped in a 1-for-3 game with four RBIs.
Beth McCulley went 4-for-4 for the Golden Eagles.
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In game two, Eastern scored five runs in the third and six runs in the fourth to pull away from the Golden Eagles and put the run rule into effect.
Eastern scored two runs in the first inning after a RBI double by Clark and RBI single by Emily Corbitt.
Tech got one run back in the top of the third after a RBI single by Jessie Lowery, cutting into the lead, 2-1.
Zoe Mihalicz got the big inning started in the third after a two RBI single up the middle brought home Corbitt and Sydney Pezzoni. After a walk by Matti Morales, Gaby De La Cerda drove in Mihalicz with a RBI single to take 6-1 lead.
Clark sent her second home run of the day well over the left field fence to start the bottom of the fourth inning and extend the Colonel lead. Singles by Mihalicz, Robinson and Morales brought in another run in the bottom of the fourth. Melissa Jacobsen and Lizzmore hit back-to-back doubles to bring in three more runs.
Paulick started in the circle for the Colonels, going four innings and striking out five. Murphy McRoberts pitched one inning and struck out one to close out the game.
Clark went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Mihalicz was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Eastern out hit Tennessee Tech 23-16 in the two contests.