MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State advanced to their fourth consecutive championship game with a 6-3 victory over Texas Southern in the 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex Friday afternoon.
With the win, Alabama State (23-29) advances to the championship game at 2:00 pm Saturday afternoon as the only undefeated team remaining in the tournament.
The Lady Hornets got on the board early, and into the Texas Southern bullpen, when
Kristin Gunter singled down the right field line to lead off the second inning before moving to second on a wild pitch. She scored on a
Makala Burt single to put Alabama State up 1-0, before
Jordan Amerson picked up an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0 in the inning.
After the bases were loaded, Texas Southern issued a pair of walks to
Casey Durham and
Charlene Castro for a 4-0 lead, before Jasmin Fulmore – the third Texas Southern pitcher – came on in relief to end the inning. Texas Southern (24-17-1) got on the board in the third when Sierra Valdez drove in a pair of runs to trim the deficit in half to 4-2.
Alabama State was able to get back on the board in the fifth inning when they were able to manufacture a run off back-to-back singles from Gunter and Burt.
Aimee Felices drove home Gunter before Burt was thrown out at the plate by Texas Southern centerfielder Tevanae Tate.
The Lady Hornets added another run in the sixth when Durham doubled to left center to score
Kaylee Davis for a 6-2 lead. Tate added the final run of the game with a home run to left in the seventh for Texas Southern for the final margin.
Gunter finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Burt finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in. Meanwhile, Felices finished 2-for-4 with a run batted in, while Amerson finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and a run batted in.
Justine Jean (11-10) pitched her third consecutive complete game in the tournament, allowing just three runs and scattering 12 hits. She struck out a pair and walked four.
The championship game will be aired on the SWAC Digital Network beginning with first pitch at 2 pm.
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