MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama State softball team started the ASU Hornet Softball Tournament on Friday with a gritty, come-from behind victory, followed with a pair of tight losses during the middle games of the tourney and were blanked in their finale Saturday night as the Lady Hornets finished with a 1-3 record over the weekend.
 
Friday's games
ASU 6, Howard 4
Laura Aguilar came through with two-run single that tied the game at 2-2 and then came through for the go-ahead RBI on a ground out to make it 5-4 in the fourth inning as the Lady Hornets rallied twice to earn the come-from-behind victory.
 
Maddie Phelps (2-4) pitched five innings and allowed four runs (only one earned) on four hits and struck out five.
 
Melissa Christmann came on in relief and pitched two tidy, scoreless innings to earn the save. 
 
Charlene Castro went 2-for-2 with a walk, run scored and a RBI and Alexis Boggess batted 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI. 
 
Gardner Webb 5, ASU 3
Charlene Castro homered while Aleesa Yanez and Jenna Mae Thorne each collected RBI singles, but the Lady Hornets were unable to catch up from an early 2-0 deficit. 
 
Alabama State left eight runners on base and had their best opportunity in the second inning when the Lady Hornets had the bases loaded with nobody out.
 
Yanez singled and Alexis Johnson and Perry Hindi each drew walks, but were left stranded after a strikeout, a ground out on a throw that went home that retired the lead runner and another strikeout ended the threat. 
 
Saturday's games
Akron 6, ASU 5 (8 innings)
The Zips pulled off the comeback win with a two-run double in the seventh inning to force extra innings and then won it in eight on a RBI single.
 
Alabama State had a rally of their own.
 
After trailing 3-0 early, the Lady Hornets put up a five-run fourth inning to take the lead.
 
Castro had a RBI single, Yanez followed with a two-run triple to right field.
 
Carly Evans gave ASU a 4-3 lead on a RBI double and Boggess increased the lead to 5-3 on a RBI single that plated Evans.
 
Phelps kept ASU in the game as she came out in relief and pitched three and two thirds scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and struck out three. 
 
Omaha 7, ASU 0
The Mavericks put up four runs in the second inning on a grand slam and held the Lady Hornets offense to just two hits.
 
Christmann kept ASU in the game as she came on relief and allowed just one run in five innings of work.
 
Next up
Alabama State will return to the field on Friday at 6 p.m. against Montevallo in the Tiny Laster Classic played in Irondale, AL. 
 
#GOHORNETS#