Lady Braves Storm Back to Win Wild River City Classic Finale

VICKSBURG, Miss. – Trailing by four runs, the Alcorn State University softball program rallied from a late deficit to defeat Miles College 10-9 on Sunday at Sports Force Parks.
 
The Lady Braves were down 8-4 when they scored six straight runs to jump ahead. It included a five-run sixth inning to take a 10-8 lead. Alcorn then held off a seventh inning comeback attempt from the Golden Bears in a rollercoaster affair.
 
"We did an awesome job of fighting through a lot of adversity today. I am not sure I have ever had two games anything like that," said Alcorn head coach Josef Rankin, referencing today and yesterday's final game.
 
All of Alcorn's damage in its big sixth inning came with two outs. Senior Simone McKinney beat-out an infield single and plated junior Ashley Arnold from third base to cut the deficit to 8-6. Sophomore Akaisha Lewis followed with a game-tying hit to score junior Desirea Lindsey and McKinney.
 
Still with two outs, freshman Kelsey Lockridge kept the frame going with a single to left. Junior Malea Dickerson then gave Alcorn its first lead of the game with a go-ahead single to right which scored Lewis. Sophomore Brenn Ursin tallied an insurance run with an RBI hit to left to make it a 10-8 game.
 
In the top of the seventh, Miles garnered an RBI double from Alexus Gonzalez with two outs to cut it to 10-9. On the final play of the game, Emerald Coachman ripped a shot into right center that nearly tied it, but was caught on the run by McKinney.
 
"I am extremely proud of this team. Their response the last two days has been amazing. Too many things that were outside of their control tried to really influence the outcome of this game and I am so proud of them for stepping up and fighting through it," Rankin said.
 
Alcorn outhit Miles 14-7. McKinney submitted a 3-for-4 day with two runs and two RBIs.
 
Also with multi-hit outings were Lewis, Lockridge, Dickerson and Lindsey.
 
In the circle, Ursin entered in relief and earned the win after allowing two earned runs in 4.0 frames. Senior Ambria Dorsey got the start and got Alcorn through three innings.
 
Coachman was a do-it-all student-athlete for Miles. She through a complete-game, and also hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning to give the Golden Bears a 4-0 lead.
 
Alcorn's first three runs all came in the third inning, and again with two outs. It came on an RBI single by McKinney, an RBI double by junior Amari Ramsey and an RBI single by Lockridge.
 
The Lady Braves added another in the fourth. Ursin started the inning by reaching on an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Lindsey.
 
In the fifth, Alcorn kept its two-out magic going with an RBI single to right by Dickerson. It scored Lewis who singled to center and advanced to second on a ground out.

All 10 of Alcorn's runs in the game came with two outs.
 
"This weekend was very taxing. That was a tough stretch for us. But they found a way to get that win today," Rankin said.

The Lady Braves will be back at it Wednesday when they travel to Southern Miss for a doubleheader on the road beginning at 4 p.m.
 
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