GAME 1 | Jackson State 6, Southern Miss 5
JACKSON, Miss.| The Jackson State softball team rallied from down 5-4 in the fifth inning to defeat Southern Miss 6-5 in game one of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the JSU Softball Field.

Victoria Salazar (3-4) started in the circle and picked up the win for Jackson State (10-10). The right-hander went two shutout innings while giving up one hit, allowing no walks and striking out four.

Freshman Jace Jackson led the way offensively for the Tigers, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with a walk and an RBI. Sophomore Mari Stephens put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Kristina Carlson also contributed, going 1-for-3 for Jackson State with an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Trailing 1-0, the Tigers first put runs on the board in the first inning.
• Jackson State scored twice, with one run coming across on senior Isis Tylor's single.
• The Eagles failed to push any runs across before the Tigers' offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning.
•  Jackson State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Carlson, which brought the score to 3-1 in favor of the Tigers.
• Jackson State's lead had evaporated by the time the fifth inning arrived and turned into a 5-3 Southern Miss advantage when the Tigers cut that deficit to 5-4.
• JSU scored once on an RBI single off the bat of senior Alexis Arredondo.
• Jackson State kept Southern Miss off the board before taking the lead in the sixth.
• Rachel Barker and Samiyyah Huckabee came in to score the two Tigers' runs in the frame, bringing the Jackson State advantage to 6-5.
• Jackson State held on to the 6-5 lead for the rest of the game to seal the victory

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Takiya Hill struck out five Eagles hitters.
• Jackson State's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed two runs across.
• JSU went 4-for-12 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
• Jackson State pitchers faced 35 Southern Miss hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and four fly balls while striking out nine.
• Jackson led the Tigers at the plate, going 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• Southern Miss was led offensively by senior Caroline Worrell, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple.
• USM's Morgan Leinstock led the Eagles' pitching staff, throwing four innings of three-run ball.

 GAME 2 | Jackson State 3, Southern Miss 9
JACKSON, Miss.| Jackson State struggled to cash in on its opportunities to score, leaving 11 Tigers on base in a 9-3 loss at the hands of Southern Miss in game two of the Tuesday doubleheader at the JSU Softball Field.

Macie Kuppenbender (1-3) took the loss in the circle for Jackson State (10-11).

In the batter's box, the Tigers were paced by freshman Brooklyn Morris, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a double and a walk. Mari Stephens went 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI for the Tigers. Isis Tylor also contributed for Jackson State, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Tigers got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom of the first inning with the game still scoreless.
• Jackson State got an RBI single from Tylor, scoring Stephens from second base.
• The Eagles then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Tigers got back on the board in the fourth.
• Jackson State picked up two runs when a single from Stephens brought home Jalia Hubbard and Amaya Ruiz, which brought the score to 3-2 in favor of the Tigers.
• JSU was unable to hold the lead, as Southern Miss scored seven times over the remaining three innings to grab the 9-3 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Jackson State's highest scoring inning was the fourth when it pushed two runs across.
• The Tigers left 11 runners stranded on base in the loss.
• JSU out-hit the Eagles at a 7-6 clip.
• Jackson State pitchers faced 37 Southern Miss hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and five fly balls while striking out six.
• The Tigers drew five walks from Southern Miss pitching.
• Morris led JSU at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double.
• Southern Miss was led offensively by Natalie Taylor, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI.
• Morgan Leinstock led the Eagles' in the circle, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings.

UP NEXT
The Tigers will open Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play on the road at Florida A&M University. JSU will play a three-day weekend series with the Rattlers beginning Friday at 4 p.m.

FOLLOW JACKSON STATE ATHLETICS
For complete coverage of Jackson State athletics, follow the Tigers on social media at @GoJSUTigers (Instagram and Twitter), Jackson State Tigers (Facebook), or visit the official home of Jackson State athletics at GoJSUTigers.com.