GULFPORT, Miss. | Bailee Williams blasted a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to lift Alabama State University to a 2-1 victory over Prairie View A&M in the opening round of the 2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference Softball Tournament on Tuesday at the Gulfport Sportsplex.
The Hornets improved to 23-30 overall and advanced in the SWAC Tournament behind a dominant pitching performance from Kohana Pousson and timely late-game hitting.
Alabama State struck first in the opening inning when Alana Scott doubled down the left-field line and later scored on an Ayana Frank sacrifice fly to center field for a 1-0 lead.
Prairie View answered in the bottom half of the inning. After loading the bases, Isabela Rodriguez drew an RBI walk to tie the contest at 1-1.
The game remained deadlocked through the middle innings as both pitchers controlled the action. Pousson worked out of multiple scoring threats, while Prairie View starter Kayla Adams kept the Hornets off the board after the first inning.
Williams provided the decisive moment in the seventh, sending a 0-0 pitch down the left-field line for a solo home run to give Alabama State a 2-1 advantage.
Pousson closed the door in the bottom of the seventh, retiring the Panthers in order to secure the victory. The right-hander earned the win and improved to 11-7 on the season after allowing one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts and four walks in a complete-game effort.
Adams took the loss for Prairie View A&M, falling to 14-8 after surrendering two runs on three hits across seven innings.
Scott, Jaibriel Terrell and Williams each recorded one hit for Alabama State, with Williams driving in the game-winning run. Prairie View finished with four hits, led by Kayla Zaid's two-hit performance.
Alabama State advances to play West No. 2 seed Texas Southern on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
