MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama A&M (3-10, 0-0 SWAC) would be involved in a pair of 9-1 games on the final day of the HBCU Heritage Classic, knocking off South Carolina State (1-9, 0-0 MEAC) before falling by that score to host Alabama State (7-8, 0-0 SWAC) in a pair of NCAA Division I softball games on Sunday, February 27.
 
GAME 1: Alabama 9, South Carolina State 1
The Bulldogs wasted no time in getting on the board in their Day 2 opener against their fellow Bulldogs (South Carolina variety) as junior catcher Brooklyn Wallace (Hartselle, Ala.) delivered an RBI single and senior first baseman Rachael McKinney (Birmingham, Ala.) followed right after with an RBI double for a 2-0 lead.
 
S.C. State came right back in the home half of the inning as Mak McDaniel doubled to right center to open the frame, stole third on a strikeout and then came home on a wild pitch to cut the lead in half. That one run, however, would pale in comparison to what A&M brought to bear in the second.
 
Three straight singles to open that inning promptly loaded the bases and freshman outfielder Da'Nijah Wade (Columbia, Tenn.) brought home a run with a groundout to second before Wallace doubled two more home for a 5-1 lead. She would then cross home plate on the next play, scoring from second on a wild pitch for a five-run advantage.
 
Following that offensive outburst the teams combined to scatter eight hits over the next four and a half innings, none of them resulting in another run coming home. That would change in the top of the seventh as Wade singled, stole second and was plated by a single to third from Wallace while McKinney drove her home with a double to left center.
 
A sacrifice bunt moved her over and freshman shortstop Serena Herbranson (Hemet, Calif.) then singled her home to reach what would be the final margin of 9-1. Alabama A&M would round out their strong pitching performance by inducing three groundouts, with a single squeezed in between, in the bottom of the seventh to lock up the eight-run victory.
 
McDaniel led the Bulldogs with a 2-for-4 day that included a double and run scored while Daisha Simon was 2-for-4 and Mar Marshall 2-for-3. In the circle, DeAsia Lowther went the distance but allowed seven earned runs and 13 hits to fall to 1-3.
 
A&M's Wallace delivered the best game of her young career, belting out a 3-for-4 day that saw her drive in four with a double and three runs while McKinney had a second straight impressive game with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored as part of her 2-for-3 outing. Wade was a threat at the plate and on the basepaths as she swiped a pair of bags, going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI in the process.
 
Freshman third baseman Faith Cross (Pulaski, Tenn.) and sophomore designated player Shalin Charles (Fayetteville Ark.) each went 2-for-3 with a run and freshman Paige Scott (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) was dominant in the circle. She pitched all seven innings, spraying eight hits and allowing just one run to go with four strikeouts to pick up the win and move to 1-3 on the year.
 
GAME 2: Alabama State 9, Alabama A&M 1
Under the lights, the teams managed a combined three hits in the first inning and a half before ASU went to work in the bottom of the second.
 
That frame would see them get a double from Alex Preston and a sacrifice fly to move her to third before Jamaica Flowers laced a single up the middle to bring her home. That 1-0 lead would double two batters later as Kindall DeRamus notched an RBI single.
 
After limiting A&M to just a single in their half of the third, the Hornets would essentially put the game away in the bottom of the inning. They would deliver six runs on four hits and capitalize on a pair of errors to drive the lead to an insurmountable 8-0. Flowers would post two of those runs on a single and DeRamus and Arianna Atchley would each add an RBI.
 
An error, SAC bunt and groundout would put the Bulldogs in position to push across a run in the fourth when Riches singled through the right side but they would not be able to contain ASU in the fifth. They would make that the final frame as a single and error put runners on second and third for Jaeda Gardner, who brought home the clinching run in the 9-1 decision with a groundout to third.
 
DeRamus led the Hornets with a 3-for-4 day that included two RBIs and a pair of runs while Flowers was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a pair of scores. Gardner, Atchley and Alex Massie each added a solo RBI to round out the offense. Elle Lunsford started and threw four innings, notching four strikeouts and allowing just the one run to improve to 1-1 on the year.
 
Riches posted one of three hits for Alabama A&M and added a walk and the lone RBI while Wade would go 1-for-3 with a steal. Junior pitcher Alyssa Lopez (San Leandro, Calif.) went 2.2 innings in the circle and suffered the loss to drop to 1-3.
 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs continue their road swing as they travel south to take on NCAA Division II Tuskegee on Tuesday, March 1. That doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch in Tuskegee, Alabama.