BATON ROUGE, La. – The Alcorn State softball team prevented the Southern series sweep on Sunday, splitting the doubleheader at Lady Jaguar Field to close out weekend action. The Lady Braves lost the first contest 6-5 but picked up the second game spectacularly, 13-3.
Across the doubleheader, Hannah Miller led the Alcorn offense. The junior from Kokomo, Miss., made eight plate appearances for five hits, four runs, and four RBIs. The Lady 6-16 overall and 3-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Southern is now 5-20 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.
Game One
Alcorn got off to an early lead, going on a 5-0 run across two and a half innings. Southern put up four runs in the bottom of the third to cut the Lady Braves' lead to 5-4 and added two in the bottom of the fifth to gain the lead. Alcorn could not answer in the remaining frames to fall 6-5.
Despite the loss, Alcorn outhit the Lady Jaguars 8-7 and committed no errors, while Southern had five. The Lady Braves could not make it home, leaving six runners stranded to Southern's two.
Kristian Edwards led the Brave's offense in game one. She had a game-high two RBIs on a 1-for-4 appearance. Miller and Marsha Hunt led Alcorn in hitting. They each connected for two hits and scored one run.
Kiri Parker (2-6) took the loss in the circle. She threw for 4.0 innings with five strikeouts, five walks, six runs, and six hits. A'Mya Stevens entered the game in relief for the final two frames for one hit against, one walk, and one strikeout.
Game Two
The Lady Braves dominated the second contest of the day; scoring runs in every single inning. Alcorn jumped to a 9-0 lead before Southern scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Lady Braves added four more runs in the fifth to close the contest early with a 13-3 victory.
Hunt was perfect at the plate, with three across the board. The senior from Philadelphia, Miss., went 3-for-3, including two home runs, for three runs and three RBIs. Miller had a game-high four RBIs. She went 3-for-4 with one home run, one double, three runs, and four RBIs.
Ta'Niyah Fletcher (1-3) earned her first pitching victory of the season. She threw for 4.0 innings with six hits against, three earned runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Stevens closed the game by pitching the final contest for three hits and two strikeouts.
Alcorn State softball will return to action on Friday, March 24, hosting Texas Southern in conference play. The first game of the three-game series is set for 4 p.m.
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About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country. Currently, it ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, and Tennis.
Women's competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, and Volleyball.
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.
