HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M (6-14, 1-4 SWAC) went back-and-forth with Jackson State (13-11, 4-2 SWAC), tying the game late, before falling 9-7 in an NCAA Division I softball game on Sunday, March 20.
 
Any illusions of a pitcher's duel would go out the window in the first inning as the Tigers pushed across a run on a throwing error and the Bulldogs came right back with two in the bottom of the frame.
 
That rally would start with sophomore second baseman Lauryn Gross (Huntsville, Ala.) doubling to leadoff and scoring on an infield error and senior first baseman Rachael McKinney (Birmingham, Ala.) bringing home the second run with a sacrifice fly.
 
The second inning would see JSU take control with four runs on just two hits as they capitalized on back-to-back hit batters to start the frame. Samiyyah Huckabee would then double home two runs and score on a wild pitch while Lauren Stewart made it 5-2 as she scored on a passed ball.
 
A pair of singles put the Bulldogs in position to push across a run in the home half of the second as junior catcher Brooklyn Wallace (Hartselle, Ala.) lofted a sacrifice fly to cut it to two. From there the teams would settle in as much as they were going to in this game with the Tigers scraping a single run in the fourth to make it 6-3.
 
It would stay that way until the sixth when a Mari Stephens groundout pushed it to a four-run margin but that would be the calm before the storm. The bottom of the inning would see Gross deliver a two-RBI double to slice the lead to 7-5.
 
A single and stolen base by freshman outfielder Da'Nijah Wade (Columbia, Tenn.) following that play put runners on second and third with one out and brought freshman outfielder Allyson Riches (San Diego, Calif.) to the plate.
 
She would then power a ball deep over the right field fence for a three-run homerun – except she didn't, at least not officially. The ball cleared the fence and all three runners came home but not in the order they were on the bases, making it a game-tying triple and an out to knot things up at 7-7. A single followed by a caught stealing would then end any further threat as the teams headed to the top of the seventh deadlocked.
 
It wouldn't stay that way long, however, as a one-out single by Monica Serrano was then followed by a two-run homer over the left centerfield wall by Jalia Hubbard to give Jackson State a 9-7 lead before A&M shut it down with back-to-back outs.
 
Freshman outfielder Tatianna Roman (Cypress, Calif.) singled through the right side to leadoff the bottom of the seventh but that two-run blast would be enough as JSU turned a double play on the next batter and got a strikeout to lockdown the narrow victory.
 
Huckabee led the Tigers with a 2-for-4 day that saw her lace a double, score two, drive home two and swipe three bags while Hubbard was 1-for-3 with a run and her two-run homerun. Stephens and Alexis Arredondo would add an RBI apiece and Stewart went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Victoria Salazar pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five earned runs but Takiya Hill would pick up the win in relief to move to 4-4.
 
Gross delivered another impressive day for Alabama A&M, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs, a pair of RBIs and a walk. She was joined by Riches at 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs and McKinney at 2-for-3 with an RBI. Wallace had the only other RBI on the day and freshman Paige Scott (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) took the loss following 5.1 innings of relief as she struck out five and allowed four earned runs. She falls to 2-5 on the year.
 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs continue a season-high eight-game homestand this coming weekend as they host Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) newcomer Florida A&M from March 25-26. First pitch for the single game on Friday, March 25 is set for 2 p.m. with the doubleheader the following day ticketed for 12 p.m.