Courtesy of Alabama State Athletics
GULFPORT, Miss. | Alabama State softball battled two different opponents and an hour-long weather delay to pull out a pair of wins to advance to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship game on Friday. The Hornets pulled away from Jackson State in the opening game of the day for an 8-5 victory before beating previously unbeaten Prairie View A&M 6-2 in the nightcap.
In the opener, Alabama State was held to just seven hits with Alex Massie (Pottsboro, Texas) the lone player recording multiple hits as she finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. Jazmine Dodd (Bentonville, Ark.) and Jaeda Gardner (Pike Road, Ala.) each picked up a pair of RBI in the win. Bailey Greenlee (Snohomish, Wash.) picked up the win to push the Hornets into the championship round, with a complete game effort giving up five runs (all earned) on nine hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Kindall DeRamus (Helena, Ala.) led Alabama State at the plate in the win over Prairie View A&M, finishing 3-for-4, while Alex Preston (Stockton, Calif.) went 2-for-4 with a double. Ashley Pye (Stockton, Calif.) picked up the win, working 4.0 innings and allowing two runs (both earned) on just one hit with six strikeouts, while Greenlee picked up the save working 3.0 innings and allowing just two hits with four strikeouts.
How It Happened (Game 1 vs. Jackson State)
- T1 | Lauren Stewart scored on a wild pitch before Isabel Gusman drove home a run with a sacrifice fly to center (2-0, Jackson State).
- B1 | Destinee Dixon (Bullard, Texas) singled home DeRamus for the first run (2-1, Alabama State).
- B2 | DeRamus drove home a run on an RBI groundout followed by a two-error off the bat of Dodd to give Alabama State the lead (4-2, Alabama State).
- T3 | Jackson State got back on the board with a single and bases-loaded walk (4-4).
- B3 | Gardner reached on an error allowing a run to score before Greenlee recorded an RBI with a groundout to give the Hornets the lead for good (7-4, Alabama State).
- B4 | Morgan Gaither (Brookwood, Ala.) drove home Dodd on an RBI groundout (8-4, Alabama State).
- T5 | The Tigers got an RBI single from Zoey Keyes for the final run (8-5, Alabama State).
How It Happened (Game 2 vs. PVAMU)
- B2 | Arianna Atchley (Millbrook, Ala.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Gaither stole third and scored on an error (2-0, Alabama State).
- B3 | Dixon drove home DeRamus with a sacrifice fly (3-0, Alabama State).
- T4 | The Panthers got on the board with a bases-loaded walk (3-1, Alabama State).
- B4 | Gardner drove home a pair of runs with a single before Greenlee drove in another with a sacrifice fly (6-1, Alabama State).
- T5 | PVAMU got their final run across with a single to left (6-2, Alabama State).
Up Next
Alabama State softball and Prairie View A&M meet in the championship game Saturday morning, with first pitch scheduled for 11 am.
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