Game 1 Box
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NORMAL, Ala. – The Alabama State University softball team earned a pair of extra-inning victories and a shutout win en route to securing a three-game sweep over rival Alabama A&M and improved its opportunity of qualifying for the upcoming Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.
The Lady Hornets improved to 12-24 overall and 9-5 in SWAC play after posting wins of 3-2 (9 innings), 3-2 (10 innings) and 7-0 over the Lady Bulldogs (8-22, 3-11 SWAC).
In Friday's opener, Bama State tied the game after scoring a run in the sixth and seventh innings before plating the game winning score in the ninth.
Destinee Sanchez pitched all nine innings for ASU allowing just two runs while scattering eight hits in the complete game performance. Sanchez also struck out four and did not walk a batter. Krissy Miles suffered the loss for A&M after surrendering two runs on three hits in 3.2 innings of relief work.
Trailing 2-0 after five innings of play, Alabama State finally got on the board in the sixth. Brehanna Rodgrigues got hit by a pitch, moved to second on a groundout then stole third before scoring on
Ayesha Famble's RBI single. ASU then tied the game in the seventh as
Courtney Crossley led off the frame with a double and scored on an RBI single by Quayanna Forte.
With two outs in the ninth, Sosefina Toilolo singled and advanced to third after an error by the AAMU leftfielder. She would score the the game winner on a second fielding error by the Lady Bulldogs.
Saturday's doubleheader opened with a classic pitching duel between ASU's Amanda Gracia and A&M's Hali Buie. Both hurlers pitched 10-inning complete game efforts with Buie suffering the hard luck loss in the 10th as the Lady Hornets outscored the Lady Bulldogs 3-2 in their final at-bat.
Gracia collected 14 strikeouts in the contest while walking just one and allowing only six hits. Buie finished with six strikeouts, five walks and six hits allowed.
Following nine innings of scoreless play, ASU got on the scoreboard with three runs in the top of the 10th. Crossley opened the frame on second and moved to third on a sac bunt.
Ariel Gainey's single could not score Crossley but Rodrigues followed with a single scoring a pair of runs for Bama State. A two-base error allowed Rodrigues to reach third, where she scored the eventual game deciding run on a passed ball.
Alabama A&M rallied with two runs in the bottom of the frame after Paris Sanders slapped a bases-loaded, two-run single. However, Buie ended the game with a fly out to left with the tying run on third.
The Lady Hornets successfully captured the series sweep breaking open a closely contested finale with five runs in the fifth on their way to a 7-0 shutout win in game three.
Sanchez again was the star on the mound for ASU twirling seven scoreless innings, while limiting AAMU to just five hits and whiffing eight batters.
At the plate, Rodrigues, Gainey and Whitney Golson each tallied two hits to pace the Lady Hornets on offense.
ASU grabbed a 1-0 lead when Famble smashed a two-out homer in the top of the first inning. After trading zeros for the next three innings, Bama State struck for five runs in the fifth to seize the momentum. The Lady Hornets opened the frame with four consecutive hits including a double by Toilolo, a Gainey single, an RBI-single for Rodrigues and a single by Golson. Famble drove home a run on a fielder's choice and Richardson concluded the scoring surge with a two-run single.
Bama State added another run in the sixth to reach the final margin.
Up next for ASU is a three-game set at Alcorn State on Apr. 23-24 that marks the end of its regular season slate. The SWAC Championship Tournament is scheduled for Apr. 29-May 2 in Irondale, Ala.
