TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Jackson State University Lady Tigers dropped a 9-3 game to Florida A&M here on Saturday in the first of a three-game weekend series in Southwestern Athletic Conference softball.
 
JSU, 17-18 overall and 8-5 in SWAC play, started off strong against the Lady Rattlers, getting a single from Lauren Stewart, a double from Samiyyah Huckabee and a single from Alexis Arredondo in the game's first three at-bats.  Stewart advanced to third on Huckabee's double and then scored on a FAMU throwing error. Arredondo's hit allowed Huckabee to score, giving JSU an early 2-0 lead in the ballgame.
 
The Lady Tigers' lead was short-lived as the homestanding Lady Rattlers knotted the game at 2-all with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning.
 
In the top of the third, Mari Stephens reached base on a bunt, advanced to second on an Isis Taylor ground out and then advanced to third on a wild pitch.  A FAMU throwing error then allowed Stephens to score what eventually proved to be JSU's final run, putting the Lady Tigers ahead 3-2 heading into the bottom of the inning.
 
It was in the bottom of the third inning that the game got out of hand for JSU as three hits coupled with two errors allowed the Lady Rattlers to score four runs, increasing their lead to 6-3.
 
FAMU added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning along with one in the sixth.
 
Three players for JSU had multiple hits in the game, including Stewart (2-for-3 with one run), Stephens (2 for-4 with 1 run) and Taylor (2-for-3).
 
The Lady Tigers and Lady Rattlers square off again on Saturday at the FAMU Softball Complex in a doubleheader starting at noon.
 

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