JACKSON, Miss. – After falling victim to a seventh-inning rally in game one, the Alabama State University softball team rallied for a split in a Saturday doubleheader with Jackson State University to clinch a spot in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship Tournament in May.
 
Alabama State (14-28, 8-7 SWAC) led by a pair of runs in the seventh inning of game one before Jackson State roared back with six runs in the bottom of the frame to walk away with a game one victory. The Lady Tigers tied the game with a pair of doubles, before winning with a walk-off grand slam – winning 11-7.
 
The Lady Hornets responded with a 14-5 victory in game two, ending the game in six innings while pounding out 14 hits to clinch the series against Jackson State. They responded with 11 runs in the first three innings, including seven in the second inning.
 
Alabama State started the scoring in the first inning after Laura Aguilar reached on a triple and Kaylee Davis a single to put the Lady Hornets ahead 1-0. They extended the lead when Valerie Centeno drove home Davis on an RBI groundout to make it 2-0.
 
After Jackson State tied the game up in the first, the Lady Hornets responded with seven of their own to take control of the game. Hailey Walker led off the inning with a walk, before Therese Byrne singled to center to push Walker up 60 feet. Aguilar singled to drive in a pair of runs and put the Lady Hornets up for good, 4-2, before a pair of infield singles and a bunt from Kendall Core pushed the Lady Hornets out even further ahead of Jackson State.
 
Perry Hindi doubled down the line to keep the inning alive for Alabama State, while both she and Core coming home on a Charlene Castro double up the middle to make the score 9-2.
 
Alabama State added a pair of runs in the third when Core singled to center to drive home two more, and ended the scoring with a Walker double and sacrifice fly by Alexia Boggess in the sixth inning.
 
Davis and Hindi led the 14-hit attack in the opener against Jackson State, each going 3-for-4. Davis scored three times and drove in a run, while Hindi scored twice. Aguilar finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI, while Core finished 2-for-4 with three runs batted in.
 
Vanessa Bradford (9-10) earned the complete game win for the Lady Hornets, going six innings and allowing five runs off of eight hits.
 
In the opener, Castro finished 2-for-3 with four runs batted in. She finished with a double and a two-run homerun off the centerfielder's glove to give Alabama State a 6-3 lead through three innings of play. Taylor Rosser finished 2-for-3 for the Lady Hornets in the opener.
 
Castro (2-7) suffered the loss for Alabama State in the opener.
 
The Lady Hornets return to action Wednesday night at Lagoon Park against seventh-ranked Auburn, with first pitch scheduled for 6 pm. Tickets are still available for the contest at funinmontgomery.com.  
 
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