GULFPORT, Miss. – The Jackson State University softball team posted a pair of wins Thursday to advance to the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals.
JSU beat Texas Southern 8-7 in the morning and 12-3 over Southern in five innings in the afternoon.
Jackson State advances to the SWAC Tournament semifinals Friday at 10 a.m. against Alabama State.
JSU 8, Texas Southern 7: A fast start fueled JSU to a win over Texas Southern.
A five-run first inning set the tone for JSU as it eliminated #1 seed and Western Division champion Texas Southern.
Lauren Stewart led off the game with a double to left center and moved to third on Mari Stephens' single to left center. After Stephens stole second, Ariel Arredondo doubled to center, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead.
Isabel Gusman doubled to center, scoring Arredondo for a 3-0 lead.
Jalia Hubbard then walked before
Zoey Keyes doubled to left scoring Arredondo and Hubbard for a 5-0 lead.
In the second inning, Stewart led off with a triple to right center, and scored on a one-out double by Arredondo for a 6-0 lead. Gusman followed with a triple to left, scoring Arredondo for a 7-0 lead.
Leading 7-5 in the sixth, JSU added a key insurance run.
Samiyyah Huckabee doubled to left center and scored on a one-out single by Stephens.
JSU 12, Southern 3: The Lady Tigers again started fast, this time with eight first-inning runs, seven of them with two outs.
Leading 1-0 in the first,
Takiya Hill singled with the bases loaded, scoring Gusman for a 2-0 lead.
Isis Taylor followed with a single to score Serrano to extend the lead to 3-0. Huckabee's bases-clearing triple to left broke the game open to give the Lady Tigers a 6-0 lead. Stewart followed with a triple to center, scoring Huckabee before Stephens singled to left to complete the first-inning barrage.
In the second inning, Gusman, and Serrano led off with singles. Following a sacrifice bunt and two out, Taylor's two-run single to left extended the lead to 10-0.
Leading 11-3 in the fourth, Stewart's solo homer to left provided the final margin.
