PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas | Alabama State scored six runs in each game on the final day of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series play against Prairie View A&M, earning a 6-5 win in the opener before closing the day falling 11-6.
After falling behind courtesy of a three-run first inning by Prairie View A&M, Alabama State (11-21, 3-3 SWAC) was able to take the lead and hold with a five-run second inning to clinch the series.
Charlene Castro got Alabama State on the board as she scored on a wild pitch, before
Skyler Sullivan – the starting pitcher – laced a double to left and
Casey Durham singled down the left field line to tie the game at 3-all.
Kaylee Davis drew a bases loaded walk to give Alabama State a 4-3 lead, before
Kristin Gunter recorded a sacrifice fly to score
Hatty Shope and extend the Lady Hornets' lead to 5-3.
Prairie View A&M added a run in the bottom of the half of the inning, before Alabama State answered with another one in the sixth on a Shope single to center that scored Aimee Felicies for the final run of the game for Alabama State. The Panthers added a run on a squeeze for the final margin in the opener.
Castro (2-2) picked up the win in the opener, working 5.2 innings of relief. She allowed one run off of four hits, with five walks and a pair of strikeouts; working in relief of Sullivan who started and went 1.1 innings in the circle. The Lady Hornets were held to three hits in the win, but took advantage of a pair of Prairie View A&M errors and six walks.
In the finale, the two teams put up big inning against each other with Prairie View A&M striking first with a three-run second inning. Alabama State got on the board with a pair of runs in the third when Gunter singled to left center to drive in Durham and Shope to pull Alabama State within a run.
Marina Clark started the scoring in the four-run fourth inning for the Lady Hornets as she drew a leadoff walk to bring in Felicies to tie the game at 3-all. Alabama State took the lead when
Vanessa Bradford reached on a fielder's choice to bring in Durham, before
Hailey Walker singled down the left field line to score Gunter and Clark for a 6-3 lead.
Prairie View A&M added three runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to take a 7-6 lead, before adding four more in the fifth and a single run in the sixth for the final margin.
Justine Jean (4-7) suffered the loss in game two, working 4.1 innings. She allowed 10 runs off of eight hits, while striking out a pair. Castro came in to work the final 1.2 innings and allowed one run off of three hits.
Durham, who picked up one of the three hits in the opener, finished game two 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Gunter drove in a pair of runs, while Felicies went 3-for-4 in game two and Shope 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Alabama State returns to action Tuesday night at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex, hosting 23rd-ranked Mississippi State, with first pitch set for 5 pm. Admission is free for all home softball games.
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