ASU Softball: Alabama State takes doubleheader against Alabama A&M to begin weekend series
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. |Â Alabama State (13-25, 8-6 SWAC) defeats rival Alabama A&M on the road in both games of the Friday doubleheader by scores of 8-1 and 11-8 at the Bulldog Softball Field.
Alabama State 8, Alabama A&M 1
After both teams failed to score in the first two innings, the Hornets got on the board first after Madison Myers led the third with a bunt single and was brought home on a single to center field from Kindall DeRamus. Jamaica Flowers drove in the second run in the top of the fourth after a single to right field scored Destinee Dixon.
Alabama State extended their lead in the sixth, adding four scores in the inning to go up 6-0. Morgan Gaither doubled to left center to score Lauryn Maher for the first run, followed by an RBI double from Flowers. Later in the inning, Aishja Wilcher hammered a two-run homer for the final runs of the inning.
In the seventh, the Hornets scored their final run off an error and gave up a single run in the bottom half of the inning for the final score.
Alabama State pounded out 13 hits in the first game, led by Alex Massie who went a perfect 4-for-4 from the plate and scored a run, while Flowers went 2-for-3 in the game along with two RBI and scoring a run of her own.
Skyler Sullivan (12-8) picked up the win, working 6.0 innings and allowing just five hits along with five strikeouts. Myers closed out the final inning for the Hornets and allowed two hits and the lone Bulldog run.
Alabama State 11, Alabama A&M 8
Alabama State’s offensive production carried over to game two, taking an early 8-0 lead after Gaither recorded a single that drove in two runs in the second inning and later scored on an error.
The Hornets scored their fourth run after an infield single from DeRamus and continued to extend their lead with her scoring later off a single from Jazmine Dodd. Kaley Anthony drove in another run after an RBI double, followed by a left field single from Massie to go up 7-0 before Dixon drove in the final run of the inning.
Alabama A&M got on the board with a run in the bottom half of the second, however Dixon drove in her second run of the game on a sacrifice fly to center.
The Bulldogs would go on to close the gap by scoring a run in the fifth, while adding five in the sixth to find the score at 9-5 heading into the final inning but fell short of the comeback after the Hornets added two more runs to secure the 11-8 win.
Dixon led the Hornets in game two, going 3-for-3 from the plate to go along with two RBI and two scores. Dodd and Massie both added two hits, an RBI and two scores each in the second game.
Sullivan (13-8) picked up her second win of the day, this time pitching a complete game and giving up eight runs off of nine hits and struck out four.
The two teams will conclude their three-game series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1 pm at the Bulldog Softball Field.
