LORMAN, Miss. – In a pair of games heavy on pitching and defense, Alabama A&M (8-11, 5-4 SWAC) split the final two games of a three-game set against Alcorn State (4-14, 2-5 SWAC), earning a 3-0 victory and dropping a 3-2 decision in an NCAA Division I softball doubleheader on Saturday, April 3.
GAME 1: ALABAMA A&M 3, ALCORN STATE 0
A day after driving home 11 runs the Bulldogs' offense took a more measured approach with three one-run innings and lockdown pitching.
A&M would build a run and go to work with two outs following a leadoff walk in the top of the first. Freshman pitcher
Esperanza Coe (Beaumont, Calif.) singled to right to make it first and third before senior catcher
Haleigh Winter (Huntsville, Ala.) dropped one in to center to drive home senior outfielder
Ariel McAtee (Smyrna, Tenn.) and make it 1-0.
The score would stay that way until the third when McAtee singled to short and crossed home plate again as freshman shortstop
Serena Herbranson (Hemet, Calif.) doubled down the left field line to double the lead.
Continuing the pattern of adding to their lead every other inning, the Bulldogs came through again, this time in the fifth. Herbranson led off with a triple to the left centerfield gap and two batters latter made it 3-0 when Coe ripped a double down the left field line.
The Braves would not mount a serious threat until the bottom of the seventh when a pair of singles brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. Coe, however, would have none of it as she put down rally attempt with a strikeout to lockdown the shutout victory.
Herbranson doubled and tripled as part of a 2-of-r4 day that included an RBI and a run scored to lead Alabama A&M while Coe and Winter were both 2-for-3 with an RBI. Coe would add a double and pitch all seven innings, striking out six and scattering five hits to move to 7-3 on the year.
No one for Alcorn State would produce more than one hit with Desirea Lindsey, Amari Ramsey, Kiri Parker and Kelsey Lockridge going 1-for-3. Ramsey and Lockridge delivered doubles and Hannah Dukes went 1-for-1 with a pair of walks to round out the offense. Brenn Ursin went the distance in the circle, allowing all three runs while striking out two to fall to 0-6.
GAME 2: ALCORN STATE 3, ALABAMA A&M 2
The final game of the series would continue the trend of low offensive output as a pitchers duel ensued. Over the first four and a half innings, the teams would combine for just one hit, that a single by junior first baseman
Rachael McKinney (Birmingham, Ala.) in the second.
That stretch would include the first run of the game as the Bulldogs scored without benefit of a hit in the top of the fifth. They picked up a runner on a hit by pitch to start the inning before McAtee reached on an error and stole second. With two outs, sophomore third baseman
Taylor Woods (Decatur, Ala.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to score freshman second baseman
Shalin Charles (Fayettville, Ark.) from third for a 1-0 lead.
A&M's no-hit bid would come to a close the next half inning as Chloey Morgan broke it up with a single through the left side and the Braves would get a hit by pitch and a steal to put runners on second and third. Genise Wells then singled through the middle, scoring both runs before being thrown out at second to end the inning.
That 2-1 lead would not last long as the Bulldogs came through again with two outs, this time in the top of the sixth. Three straight singles by McKinney, junior pitcher
Alyssa Lopez (San Leandro, Calif.) and Charles then knotted it up at 2-2.
However, in a game of "can you top this" it would be the Braves that would come through, doing so in the home half of the sixth. Lindsey singled to lead things off and then was bunted over to second. Ramsey then found a hole to left to bring her home for a 3-2 lead. A&M would put the tying run on base with a two-out walk in the seventh but would get no further as Alcorn sealed the narrow one run victory.
Alabama A&M managed just four hits and McKinney would come away with half of those, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Charles went 1-for-1 with an RBI and Woods had the only other run driven in on her sac bunt. Lopez pitched all six innings, allowing two earned runs to fall to 1-6.
Wells led the Braves, going 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Ramsey was 1-for-3 with the other RBI. Parker threw all seven innings for Alcorn, striking out three and surrendering just one earned run to improve to 1-2.
The Bulldogs are now off for nearly two weeks following the cancellation of their doubleheader against Samford that was slated for Tuesday, April 6. They will return to action as they visit Jackson, Mississippi for a three-game series with Jackson State beginning on Friday, April 16. Game 1 that day is slated for 5 p.m. on with the doubleheader portion beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 17.
