HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Sophomore second baseman Lauryn Gross (Huntsville, Ala.) went a combined 4-for-7 with four steals as Alabama A&M (6-13, 1-3 SWAC) split a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) doubleheader with Jackson State (12-11, 3-2 SWAC), winning 6-5 in eight innings in the opener and falling 6-1 in the nightcap, in a pair of NCAA Division I softball games on Saturday, March 19.
 
GAME 1: Alabama A&M 6, Jackson State 5 (8 Innings)
The Bulldogs would threaten in their half of the first inning as Gross singled to lead off, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt before JSU got out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout.
 
The Tigers would then get on the board in the top of the second as Isis Taylor led off with a double to the left centerfield gap and moved to third on a strikeout. She then came home on a sac fly by Jalisa Hubbard for a 1-0 lead. Following a single by Takiya Hill A&M would limit the damage to one by inducing an inning-ending groundout.
 
Jackson State then added to that lead significantly in the top of the third as they drove home three more runs on three hits for a 4-0 advantage. Two of those runs came home on double steals with Lauren Stewart and Alexis Arredondo swiping home while the other scored on an error.
 
The Bulldogs would break through in the bottom of the inning, however, as Gross caused the JSU defense fits once again. She got on by a hit-by-pitch, once again stole second and moved to third with two outs. Senior first baseman Rachael McKinney (Birmingham, Ala.) then roped a single to left center to bring her home and make it 1-0.
 
It would be the Lauryn Gross show in the bottom of the fifth as well, again walking to lead off the inning, stealing second and then moving to third. She then came home to score on a SAC bunt by freshman outfielder Da'Nijah Wade (Columbia, Tenn.) to cut the deficit in half, 4-2.
 
After holding the Tigers scoreless in the sixth, Alabama A&M would take full advantage in the home half of the frame. Freshman outfielder Allyson Riches (San Diego, Calif.) led off with a single and moved to second and third on consecutive bunts, the first of which resulted in a hit.
 
Following an out with first and third, sophomore Esperanza Coe (Beaumont, Calif.) pinch hit and brought home Riches on a fielder's choice to short. And, of course, you couldn't have A&M scoring without Gross being involved as she beat out an infield single to second to tie the game at 4-4 on the very next play before a grounder ended the inning.
 
It would not stay deadlocked at 4-4 for long, however, as Arredondo hammered a ball over the centerfield fence with one out for a one run lead in the top of the seventh. After a fielding error put a runner on, the Bulldogs settled down and got out of the frame with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
Trailing by a run in the bottom of the seventh in their long-awaited home opener A&M would not fade away as freshman outfielder Tatianna Roman (Cypress, Calif.) singled down the right field line and a double to right by McKinney made it second and third with no one out.
 
Riches then grounded out to second to bring home Roman and knot it up at 5-5 before JSU threw out a runner at home and escaped further damage with a pop out to first, sending the game to extra innings. The Tigers would manage just a walk in the top of the eighth and it would come back to bite them in the home half.
 
Sophomore designated player Shalin Charles (Fayetteville, Ark.) led off the eighth with a hit-by-pitch and moved to second on a SAC bunt that saw sophomore shortstop Serena Herbranson (Hemet, Calif.) reach on an error. A Gross groundout made it second and third and would set the stage for A&M to capitalize on another miscue.
 
In the next at bat Wade would line out to second and Charles would roam far enough afield at third to warrant a throw – one that would sail over the third baseman's head and allow her to race home ahead of the throw to seal the come-from-behind 6-5 victory.
 
Arredondo led Jackson State with a 2-for-4 day that included a homerun, an RBI and a pair of runs while Monica Serrano and Jalia Hubbard each had an RBI on the day. Taylor finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run and Hill was 2-for-3. The latter started and went five innings, allowing two runs and striking out three but it would be Macie Kuppenbender (4-5) that would suffer the loss after giving up the game winner in two third of an inning.
 
Gross would fuel the Bulldogs on the day, swiping three bags as part of a 2-for-3 day that saw her notch a walk, RBI and two runs while McKinney was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Riches wasn't far behind, going 2-for-3 with a double, run and RBI while going 2-for-3. Wade and Coe would each add RBIs while freshman Paige Scott (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) threw all eight innings, battling through four earned runs and striking out five to improve to 2-4.
 
GAME 2: Jackson State 6, Alabama A&M 1
The Tigers would get on the board early in Game 2 as Mari Stephens doubled to lead off the game and advanced to third on a single and scored on a fielding error in the outfield on the same play.
 
The score would stay that way the next two innings as the clubs combined for just two hits before a Gross lead off double once again set the stage for a scoring opportunity. She moved to third on a groundout and then scored on a grounder by Roman to knot it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the third.
 
It would not stay that way, however, as JSU exploded for four runs on four hits in the top of the fourth. That outburst, featuring a pair of RBI singles and a run scoring triple by Stewart, then ballooned the lead to 5-1. From there, the Tigers would scatter five hits down the stretch and add one more run on a Stewart single to reach the final margin of 6-1.
 
Stewart would lead the way for JSU, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple while Stephens was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and a pair of runs. Serrano and Hill had the other RBIs on the day and Isabel Gusman was 2-for-4. Kuppenbender would see action again, this time going all seven innings and allowing just the one run to pick up the win and move to 5-5.
 
Alabama A&M was led by Gross with a 2-for-4 day that included a run and yet another steal while Roman had the lone RBI on the day. McKinney went 2-for-3 with a double and Herbranson was also 2-for-3 on the day. Coe took the loss to fall to 2-5 but senior pitcher Alyssa Lopez threw a quality 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run and striking out three.
 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs are back in action tomorrow, Sunday, March 20 as they close out the series against Jackson State. First pitch of the rubber game is slated for 12 p.m. at Bulldog Field.