JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Tuesday's road trip to Jacksonville State figures to be one of the biggest challenges of the season for the Alabama State softball team.
The Lady Hornets (11-25 overall) will meet a Gamecocks team that plays fundamentally sound softball across the board that ranks high in all phases of the game and is difficult to beat at home.
The Gamecocks (24-11 overall) are coming off a split at Eastern Illinois on Sunday (2-1 loss in game one followed by a 5-1 win in game two).
Now, they return to their home at University Field where the team holds a 9-1 record on the year.
First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
Jacksonville State hits .300 as a team and is led by lefty hitting first baseman Sara Borders, who is hitting .347 with team highs of nine home runs and 28 RBI.
The Gamecocks also have three other hitters, who are hitting .350 or better.
Senior Melanie Steer (.358), junior Ella Denes (.355) and senior Savannah Sloan (.351) are among the best hitters in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Jacksonville State has a staunch pitching staff with their three regulars in the rotation all sporting ERAs under three.
Taylor West (7-3, 2.21 ERA, 66 Ks), Logan Green (8-3, 2.50 ERA, 43 Ks) and Whitney Gillespie (8-3, 2.77 ERA, 47 Ks) make up the front line of the Gamecocks' rotation.
"We know that they're an experienced ball club who has been to the NCAA tournament several times," said ASU softball coach
Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson. "They're going to be well-rounded and will have good hitting, pitching and fielding. We're just going to play our game and do the best that we can."
For the Lady Hornets, sophomore third baseman
Kendall Core was a run-producing machine this weekend.
The Benicia, Calif., native batted 5-for-11 with two home runs and 11 RBI in the three-game series at SWAC opponent Jackson State on Friday and Saturday.
Core is currently batting .351 with four home runs and 26 RBI on the season.
She ranks tied for second in the SWAC in hits (39) and is tied for fifth in the SWAC in home runs and RBI.
In the circle, freshman
Chelsea King is coming off the heels of a week in which she was named the SWAC Pitcher of the Week.
King pitched 15 innings this week for a regular starters' workload and allowed only four earned runs (1.86 ERA) and had five strikeouts against just three walks.
The Lakeland, FL, native made her first career start at SWAC opponent Jackson State and earned a complete game victory in the Lady Hornets' 10-3 win on Friday.
King holds the best ERA in the conference on the season (1.57 ERA) in 22.1 innings pitched and has 12 strikeouts against just four walks.
Free live audio will be available by clicking here:
https://network1sports.com/station/jacksonvillestate.
Live stats will be available by clicking here:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=87094.
Tweets will be made throughout the game @ASUBUZZ.
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