HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M (14-24, 8-14 SWAC) pulled out the opener of their series with Mississippi Valley State (11-24, 9-13 SWAC) by a 3-1 score before erupting for a 13-2 decision in five innings to earn sweep of an NCAA Division I softball doubleheader on Friday, April 29. The victories keep the Bulldogs in contention for a spot in the 2022 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament.
 
GAME 1: Alabama A&M 3, Mississippi Valley State 1
With the first game of the series being a rescheduled contest from the series in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the Devilettes were the home team on the scoreboard for the opener despite being 232 miles from home.
 
Neither team would mount a sustained rally until the bottom of the third when MVSU put together a two-out rally that would see them get three straight singles before a fly ball to right got the Bulldogs out of the jam.
They would then take immediate advantage of that effort in the top of the fourth as sophomore first baseman Esperanza Coe (Beaumont, Calif.) ripped a leadoff double and was pinch run for by sophomore Iyanna Canada (Oakman, Ala.).
 
She would be caught in a rundown on a sacrifice bunt that ended up putting junior designated player Venice Sanders (Birmingham, Ala.) on second. Sophomore third baseman Faith Cross (Pulaski, Tenn.) then paid it off with a double through the left side that saw her trade places with her and make it 1-0. She would then come around to score herself on a single to left by sophomore shortstop Serena Herbranson (Hemet, Calif.) for a 2-0 margin.
 
After ending any further threat with a grounder to second, MVSU would get back one of those runs in short order in the bottom of the fourth as Keisha White belted a solo shot over the left field fence to cut the deficit in half at 2-1. That would be all they would get, however, and it would stay a one run game until the top of the sixth.
 
At that point Coe led off with a single to left and moved to second on a sac bunt by junior catcher Brooklyn Wallace (Hartselle, Ala.). Sanders then drove a ball to left center, ending up on second and scoring Coe for a 3-1 lead. MVSU would then get out of it with a fly ball and grounder to third.
 
It would take until the bottom of the seventh before either team would get anything going as Shelby Carson beat out an infield single and then Cailyn Peterson singled to left to put to on. A fielder's choice put Sydney Wesley on base and kept it first and second before Kathleen Sims delivered a pinch hit single to load them up.
 
With the sacks packed, Naomi Drake lined a ball snagged by the left fielder for the second out and what appeared to be a sac fly to bring home Peterson and slice it to 3-2. However, after deliberation, it was determined that she left early and instead of continuing the rally, ended it with the third out of a hard-fought 3-1 victory.
 
White led Mississippi Valley State with her solo homerun while Brianna Alston walked twice and added a hit to account for the offense. Daisy Page threw all seven innings, allowing all three runs and nine hits while striking out two. She falls to 9-7 on the year.
 
Cross led the way for the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored while freshman outfielder Tatianna Roman (Cypress, Calif.) was 2-for-4. Coe went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored and Sanders was 1-for-2 with a double, run and RBI and Herbranson added an RBI to round out the offense.
 
Senior pitcher Alyssa Lopez (San Leandro, Calif.) went the distance, allowing just one earned run and two walks while striking out four to pick up the win and move to 5-7.
 
GAME 2: Alabama A&M 13, Mississippi Valley State 2 (5 Inn.)
The Devilettes got on the board in the top of the first as they manufactured a run with Alston reaching on a bunt single, moved her to second on a sac bunt and then to third on a groundout. A single to left by White then brought her home for a 1-0 lead before a fly out ended the inning. It would be their highlight of the day.
 
A leadoff triple by freshman Lauryn Gross (Huntsville, Ala.) then set the stage in the home half of the inning. She would wait on the pitcher to field a grounder in front of the plate and then broke for home on the ensuing throw to tie the game at 1-1. It would be all they would manage that frame but would portend things to come.
 
After allowing just one hit in the second, the Bulldogs got a leadoff walk from Wallace, which was then immediately followed by a two-run bomb to left center by Sanders. That homerun, her sixth of the year, made it 3-1 and was just a sign of things to come the following inning.
 
With one out in the third Coe blasted a solo shot to the same spot in left center to make it 4-2 before back-to-back singles put two runners on for Cross. She would lace a double to left to score one and put runners on second and third. Both would then come home as Herbranson reached on an error, extending the lead to 7-2.
 
From there it would be like the old Casey Kasem line – the hits just kept on coming. A single by freshman outfielder Da'Nijah Wade (Columbia, Tenn.) was followed by an RBI single from Gross and a triple by Roman to clear the bases and make it 10-2.
 
Far from done, A&M continued to destroy MVSU pitching as freshman outfielder Allyson Riches (San Diego, Calif.) singled Roman home and Coe doubled down the left field line to bring home Riches. Wallace would then reach on an error to bring home Coe before the Devilettes got two more outs to finally staunch the bleeding at 13-2. Overall, the Bulldogs scored 10 runs on 10 hits and benefited from a pair of errors.
 
From there, it would be all over but the shouting as neither team would get a hit the rest of the way, just combining for three errors, before Alabama A&M closed out the commanding 11-run victory to keep their postseason hopes alive.
 
White led Mississippi Valley State with their two RBIs and Alston went 2-for-3 while Jaylon Davis laced a triple, finishing 1-for-2 with a run. Morgan Gutierrez started and went 2.1 innings, surrendering seven earned runs and seven hits to suffer the loss and fall to 0-6. A'tajua Wren pitched the remaining 1.2 innings and allowed four earned runs and seven hits.
 
Leading the way in one of the Bulldogs best hitting performances of the season were Coe and Sanders, who both went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and each belted a homerun. Roman led with three RBIs and her triple while Herbranson managed two RBIs without benefit of a hit. Not far behind was Gross with a 3-for-3 day that included a triple, walk and pair of runs. Riches and Cross added RBIs and Wade went 2-for-3 with a steal and run scored.
 
In the circle, freshman pitcher Paige Scott (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) pitched all five innings, striking out three and allowing just the two earned runs while scattering seven hits. She moves to 3-8 on the year.
 
The Bulldogs return to action tomorrow, Saturday, April 30 for the final two games of the regular season against MVSU. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. at Bulldog Field with Senior Day festivities taking place 15 minutes before game time.
 
NOTES
With the wins, combined with an Alabama State loss at Florida A&M, the Bulldogs remain in contention for a berth in the 2022 SWAC Tournament … they will need to win both games tomorrow and have ASU drop both of their contests.