PINE BLUFF, Ark. | Alabama State bounced from a game one loss in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action to UAPB, with a pair of run-rule victories Saturday afternoon to claim the series over the Lady Lions.
Alabama State (14-12, 5-1) claimed a 10-0 victory in the opener, before winning again 9-1 in the nightcap to win the series. The Lady Hornets used a combined 25 hits to outscore UAPB 19-1 on the final day of the conference series.
In the opener, Alabama State used four runs in each the first and second innings to jump out to an 8-0 lead over UAPB. They used a two-run single off the bat of
Vanessa Bradford in the top half of the first inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead, before
Hailey Walker doubled to center to score Bradford for a 3-0 lead. The final run of the inning came on an Alex Massie infield single to score Walker for the Walker for the 4-0 lead.
They added four more in the second using a double steal executed by
Alexis Sydnor and
Amira James, and a double from
Kristin Gunter to push the lead to 7-0. They would add another on a single from
Charlene Castro to score Gunter for the 8-0 lead. The Lady Hornets added two more in the fourth for the final margin.
Castro led Alabama State in the opener, going 3-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in, while three other Lady Hornets picked up multiple hits.
Vanessa Bradford picked up the win for Alabama State with a complete game effort (five innings), allowing just three hits and striking out seven.
In the nightcap, Alabama State ran to a 9-1 victory over UAPB to claim the series in a game shortened to six innings. The Lady Hornets jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one inning of play following a two-run single by Castro and a two-run home run from
Amira James.
They built the lead 5-0 on a
Casey Durham single before UAPB got on the scoreboard. The lead was extended to 7-1 on a triple from James and a fielding error by UAPB in the outfield in the third. Alabama State put the game away on a
Kimberlee Owens single in the fifth, and a Gunter triple in the sixth.
Durham finished the nightcap 4-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in, while Gunter finished 3-for-4 with a triple and a pair of runs scored. Three other Lady Hornets finished with a pair of hits each in the win, while
Justine Jean picked up the win working 3.1 innings and allowing just one run off of four hits.
Alabama State returns to action Wednesday night on the road in Macon (Ga.), facing Mercer in non-conference action.
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