JSU, MVSU and Ala. St. Beef up at Round-up
SWAC.org
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State and Alabama State all went 4-0 over the weekend at the SWAC Softball Round-up at the Tatum Softball Complex. The event kicked off the conference schedule for the 10 SWAC softball teams.
JSU, MVSU and Bama State led the East Division domination, while Prairie View was the best out of the West, finishing even at 2-2. The rest of the six teams in the conference finished the weekend with 1-3 records.
The final day of the competition, which was washed out on Friday, will be played on five of the SWAC campuses on May 6 at noon.
Mississippi Valley State 6, Prairie View A&M 0
Mississippi Valley State scored five runs in the fourth inning and cruised past Prairie View. MVSU pitcher Kimberly Spivey tossed a 2-hit shutout, working around six walks and striking out eight to pick up the win. Shana Ladner and Alexandra Sullivan were both 2-for-2 in the game. Sullivan also drove in a run.
Alabama State 10, Texas Southern 0 (5 inn)
Alabama State scored early and often en route to a 5-inning blowout of Texas Southern. The Hornets put up five in the second inning and five more in the third. From there Bama State hurler Bailey Patt was never threatened. Patt scattered five hits and struck out two to get the win. TSU pitcher Jeniece Tillman was roughed up by the Hornets, surrendering 10 runs on 10 hits. She issued five walks and had two strikeouts. Mercedes Frazier was 3-for-3 at the plate for ASU. She scored twice and drove in an RBI. Sosefina Toilolo was 2-for-3 with two doubles and six RBI, while Brittnei Price was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI.
Alabama A&M 6, Southern 3
Alabama A&M only had four hits, but feasted on Southern miscues to get their first SWAC win. Southern had three errors in the game. Jaguar pitcher Gabrielle McDaniel walked three and hit two batters. A&M took advantage, building a 6-0 lead after five innings. Southern tried to rally, scoring three runs in the sixth inning. But, Bulldogs pitchers Anisa Britt got out of the jam and quieted the Southern offense in the seventh. Britt earned the win, allowing three runs on 11 hits. She walked a pair and struck out eight. McDaniel was saddled with the loss for Southern. Four players had two hits apiece for Southern. Audrey Phillips, Shawntall Steamer, Jasmine Payne and Allison Piercefield were all 2-for-4 at the plate. Payne had a homerun and Steamer also had an RBI.
Jackson State 12, Grambling State 4 (5 inn)
Jackson State continued to roll in the Round-up, sinking Grambling State with a wave of offense. JSU posted four runs in the first and three more in the second. GSU tried to fight back, scoring twice in the third and and plating two more in the fourth to cut the JSU lead to 7-4. But, JSU answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a commanding 12-4 lead. Wendi Reed and Sabeana Romero had three hits apiece to lead JSU. Reed came a homer away from hitting for the cycle and drove in a run, while Romero was 3-for-3 with a homerun and four RBI. Overall, JSU piled up 13 hits in the game.
Prairie View 2, Alcorn State 0
Prairie View pitcher Cally Falls was dominant in her 3-hit shutout, as the Panthers beat Alcorn State. Falls had five strikeouts in seven innings. Catcher Shonte Lopez drove in both runs for PVAM, one on a sacrifice fly, and the other on a base-hit. Falls and Olivia Pace also had two hits each for the Panthers.
Mississippi Valley State 3, Texas Southern 2
Kishti Kamaka's walk-off RBI single lifted Mississippi Valley State to a dramatic win over Texas Southern. The win kept the Devilettes unbeaten in the SWAC at 4-0 (17-15), while TSU fell to 1-3 (9-9). Kamaka had two hits in the game, including a double. Nicole Burr also had two hits and an RBI for MVSU. Alicia Lorenz struck out 10, while allowing seven hits and a walk to earn the win. Rebecca Villarreal took the loss for TSU. She pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks. Monica Castillo led TSU at the plate with three hits. She was 3-for-4 and scored one of the two TSU runs.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 5, Alabama A&M 2
Arkansas-Pine Bluff pounded out 16 hits in a win over Alabama A&M. Nickole Frazier and CeCe Kolesar led the Lions offense, both going 3-for-4. Frazier had a double and an RBI, while Kolsar scored a run. Four other players, Teressa Jacobs, Valerie Higareda, Heather Leigh and Taneisha Bradford had two hits each. Meanwhile, Allison Gutierrez had a double and two RBI for UAPB. Kolesar was also the winning pitcher. She scattered seven hits and four walks while striking out eight.
Alabama State 6, Southern 2
Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, Alabama State scored a run, then added four more in the sixth. Sosefina Toilolo was 3-for-3 with three RBI to lead Alabama State. Brittnei Price, Meagan Dixon, Stephanie Hernandez and Whitley Golson each had two hits for Hornets. Destyni Valencia pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief to get the win. She allowed two hits and a walk, while striking out four.
Grambling State 4, Alcorn State 3
Grambling avoided a winless weekend, beating Alcorn State. After giving up a run in the opening inning, the Tigers scored four runs in the second to take over the game. Alcorn rallied for a pair in the sixth inning, but would come up just short. Brigette Simmons was 3-for-4 and scored a run. Winning pitcher Angela Perez allowed only three hits and two earned runs. She issued two free passes and strike out six. Tabitha Bonnell took the loss for Alcorn. She pitched seven innings, allowed six hits and two earned runs. She also allowed a walk and struck out two.
Jackson State 5, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 4
UAPB led early, but couldn't hold on. The Lions led Jackson State 2-0 after scoring a pair of runs in the opening innings. JSU tied the score in the second inning, but UAPB went up a run in the fourth, but JSU answered with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. UAPB tried to rally in the seventh, scoring a run. However, they wouldn't score again. Wendi Reed, Tayler Nave and Sabeana Romero had two hits each for JSU. Lauren Aikens also homered for the Tigers. Amanda Nordberg, Teressa Jacobs and Taniesha Bradford all had two hits for UAPB. Both Nordberg and Bradford drove in two runs. LeEthel Guillory was the winning pitcher. She pitched seven innings, allowed four runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out three.