MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University softball team steps out of conference play for the first time in two weeks, hitting the road to face in-state foe Jacksonville State University Tuesday.
First pitch is scheduled for 5 pm at University Field.
Alabama State (9-20, 4-2 SWAC) enters the mid-week contest off the heels of a series loss to Texas Southern University this weekend, just one of two series losses in conference play over the last two years. The Lady Hornets and Texas Southern each pounded out 26 hits, although Alabama State was outscored 18-13 in the three games.
Perry Hindi,
Valerie Centeno and
Alexia Boggess led the Lady Hornets at the plate over the weekend with four hits in the three-game series; while
Laura Aguilar led the team with three runs batted in.
Justine Jean (2-7) earned the lone of the weekend in an 11-5 victory, pitching her second complete game of the season.
The meeting will be the second this season between Jacksonville State (21-9, 3-1 OVC) and Alabama State, with the Gamecocks winning the first meeting 12-1 in the second game of the season back on February 10 in the Sand Dollar Invitational. In that contest, the Lady Hornets – who were held to just three hits - were able to get on the scoreboard in the fourth inning following a Centeno singled to center to lead off the inning. After
Amira James was inserted to run, she advanced all the way to third on a Hindi single to right center. She scored when
Charlene Castro hit the third consecutive single for the Lady Hornets in the inning to put Alabama State on the board.
Vanessa Bradford (0-1) suffered the loss after working 3.1 innings and allowing 10 runs (seven earned) on six hits, while striking out two. Jean worked the final 1.2 innings, allowing two runs off of three hits in the loss.
On the season,
Kaylee Davis continues to lead the Lady Hornets at the plate as she is hitting .378 – one of four players over .300 on the season for the Lady Hornets. She has scored nine runs and recorded six stolen bases. Meanwhile, Hindi is hitting .354 with eight extra base hits and 12 runs batted in for Alabama State.
Kendall Core has supplied the power with eight home runs and 26 runs batted in, and is currently second all-time at the school in home runs – three shy of the record – while hitting .341 on the season. Centeno is hitting .325 with seven extra-base hits and 12 runs batted in. Boggess has jumped her batting average up over the last two weeks, hitting .296 with six extra base hits; while
Laura Aguilar – single-season record holder for hits in a season – is second on the team with 27 hits while hitting .290.
Bradford (6-7) leads the team with a 4.85 earned run average in 82.1 innings pitched, while Jean is sitting at 5.60 in 65 innings. Castro has also recorded a pair of saves for the Lady Hornets this season.
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