HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A pair of homeruns and impressive pitching performances fueled a regular season-ending three-game sweep as Alabama A&M (11-17, 8-10 SWAC) took down Mississippi Valley State (4-21, 3-12 SWAC) by scores of 4-3 and 4-1 in an NCAA Division I softball doubleheader on Saturday, May 1.
 
GAME 1: ALABAMA A&M 4, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 3
A pitchers' duel, neither team would manage a hit over the first three innings before MVSU scratched one in the top of the fourth. When the Bulldogs produced their first hits in the bottom of the inning they would do better than just the single that they allowed in the top of the inning.
 
Singles by freshman outfielder Brianna Winchester (Lavaca, Ark.) and junior first baseman Rachael McKinney (Birmingham, Ala.), sandwiched around an out, put two on for freshman designated player Shalin Charles (Fayettville, Ark.). It wouldn't take long for her to turn on a pitch right down the middle and lose it over the right field fence for a three-run homerun to put A&M up 3-0.
 
It would take until the top of the sixth but MVSU would respond with a leadoff single by Sydney Wesley before Jaylon Davis cranked a two-run shot over the left centerfield fence to cut it to 3-2. Following an out Cailyn Peterson would single, move to third on a double by Keisha White before coming home on a groundout by Kayla Sanchez to tie it at 3-3.
 
The Bulldogs would threaten in the sixth as freshman third baseman Serena Herbranson (Hemet, Calif.) legged out a one out infield single before being replaced at first on a fielders' choice. Charles would reach on an error stemming from and outfield collision to get the runners in motion only to see the right fielder hit the cutoff and gun down a runner at the plate to get out of the inning.
 
Having staved off the go-ahead run in the previous inning the Devilettes would get a runner in scoring position with two outs in the top of the seventh. Sydney Wesley singled to short and stole second before a fly out ended the inning and MVSU's chances of taking the lead.
 
They would not get another opportunity as junior second baseman Alyssa Lopez (San Leandro, Calif.) knocked a one-out single up the middle and moved to second on a groundout to put the winning run in scoring position. That would be an opportunity that would be paid off in the very next at bat as sophomore shortstop Taylor Woods (Decatur, Ala.) hammered a double down the left field line to bring Lopez home as the winning run in a walk off 4-3 victory.
 
Charles would deliver the most damage with her three-run blast to lead A&M with three RBIs while Woods had the game-winning RBI on her double in the seventh. No one would have more than one hit and McKinney and Lopez rounded out the offense with a run apiece. Coe would go the distance, allowing three runs and striking out two to improve to 9-7.
 
Davis led MVSU with a pair of RBIs on her homerun while Sanchez had the only other RBI on her groundout. White added a double and Peterson went 2-for-3 with a run scored, as did Wesley, to close out the Devilette offense. Tay Wrenn threw all 6.2 innings and allowed all four runs to suffer the loss in the circle.
 
GAME 2: ALABAMA A&M 4, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 1
Following a pair of scoreless innings it would be the Devilettes that got on the board first in the third as Brianna Alston reached base on a leadoff bunt single and advanced to second before Peterson doubled her home with a ball to center.
 
That 1-0 lead would hold up until the fourth when Woods reached on a hit by pitch, moved to third on a fielding error and scored on a wild pitch to complete the Bulldogs "no contact" rally to tie it up at 1-1. They would add another in the home half of the fifth as senior outfielder Ariel McAtee (Smyrna, Tenn.) singled to open the frame before coming around to score on an error during the next at bat for a 2-1 advantage.
 
It most definitely would not be a little to no contact inning in the sixth, however, as Charles lead off by pounding her second homerun of the day, this one clearing the centerfield fence for a two-run margin.
 
Seemingly a magnet for the ball, Woods would get plunked for the second straight at bat and promptly stole second before being sacrificed to third and scoring on a second consecutive sac bunt that should have been allowed to roll foul.
 
As it was, it resulted in a second run and a 4-1 spread that the teams would take to the top of the seventh. In that frame MVSU got the leadoff batter on via walk and had the tying runs on first and second following a single with one out. Despite the top of the order up they would not be able to capitalize as the No. 2 and No. 3 batters struck out and lined out to right, respectively, to secure the three-run victory and a series sweep.
 
Charles cranked her second homerun, this one a solo shot, to lead A&M while Lopez went 1-for-2 with an RBI. McAtee would add a run and one of the other two hits with the other coming off the bat of Winchester. In the circle Lopez had her best performance of the season as she went all seven innings, allowing just the one run and striking out five to improve to 2-7 on the year.
 
That one run would be driven in by Peterson as part of a 2-for-4 day for the Devilettes while Alston would go 3-for-3 with a run scored. Davis and Karlee Schierbeek would have the other hits, one apiece ,t0o round out the offense and Mercedes Silva pitched six innings, surrendering all four runs, three earned to suffer the loss.
 
Alabama A&M has now completed the regular season and will await the announcement of seeding for the 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament. This year's tournament will be held in Gulfport, Mississippi beginning on Tuesday, May 11.
 
NOTES
Prior to the doubleheader, the Bulldogs recognized three seniors in Ariel McAtee, Haleigh Winter and Dorian Edwards … in a scoring oddity, Alabama A&M essentially made it "first one to four runs wins" on the weekend as they scored exactly four in each of their three wins (4-3, 4-3 and 4-1).