MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State will look to maintain its perfect record this weekend with the Black and Gold Tournament February 15 – 17 at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex.
The Lady Hornets (4-0) will play a doubleheader Friday with games against Fort Wayne (2:30 pm) and North Alabama (7:30 pm). Coach
Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson's club will play another doubleheader Saturday with tilts versus Western Carolina (2:30 pm) and Alabama A&M (7:30 pm) before closing out the tournament Sunday with a game against UT-Martin at 11:30 am.
Following last weekend's four-game sweep at the Chef Celeste Challenge, Steiner-Wilcoxson needs just two more wins to reach 100 total victories at Alabama State.
An inside look at the Alabama State Lady Hornets
- The Lady Hornets are led in the circle by a couple of juniors – Justine Jean and Vanessa Bradford – with each picking up two victories over the weekend. Jean (0.58 ERA) was tabbed as the SWAC Pitcher of the Week for her efforts, which included a no-hitter against Southern.
- Bradford was one of numerous Alabama State players with big weekends offensively, grabbing five hits and one home run. Senior Charlene Castro also provided fireworks, blasting the Lady Hornets first home run of 2019 and collecting a team-best six RBI. She also pitched brilliantly in relief against Prairie View A&M, pitching 3.2 innings with five strikeouts and no runs to pick up her first save of the season.
- Newcomers Alexis Sydnor (three hits, two RBI), Teah Steel (two hits, one RBI) and Alexis Massie (three hits, three RBI) all had impressive debuts.
- Veteran Kristin Gunter (.308) led Alabama State with nine assists and a perfect fielding percentage while rotating between third base and short stop.
An inside look at the competition
- North Alabama enters with an unblemished record (3-0) after defeating UAB (1-0) and Alcorn State (6-4, 8-0) in its first three games. The Lady Lions are led offensively by Lexie Harper (six hits).
- Purdue Fort Wayne (1-4) grabbed a win against Evansville (3-1) and are led by fifth-year coach Germaine Fairchild.
- Western Carolina and Alabama &M have yet to play a game this season.
What's Next
- Alabama State will hit the road for its first midweek contest of the season on February 20 with a tilt against Mississippi State at 5:30 pm.
Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University softball, follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateSB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook) and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.
