BATON ROUGE, La. –  The Alabama A&M softball team finished the four-game weekend with a 3-1 mark as it downed Louisiana Christian, 12-6, in the third game of the Defend the Bluff Tournament, before defeating Southern, 12-11, to close out play.
 
The Bulldogs collected 27 total hits in the two games and scoring 24 runs on the day, while five pitchers saw action. The 12 home runs over the four-game span are the most in any four-game span in program history.
 
Serena Herbranson and Brooklyn Wallace both hit multiple home runs on the day, as Herbranson went 5-8 from the plate with five RBI, including a pair of homers, and four sores. Wallace also had a good all-around day, going 4-for-7 with three home runs, driving in four runs, and scoring four as well.
 
Venice Sanders went 5-for-7 in the two games, hitting a solo shot along with scoring four times, along with Abigail Barnes who finished 3-for-4 with two homers.
 
Alabama A&M 12, Louisiana Christian 6
Alabama A&M (8-6) jumped on the board first in the opening at-bat of the day.
 
Allyson Riches scored the first run on a sacrifice fly from Zahria Jones, before a solo home run from Sanders to take a 2-0 lead heading into the second.
 
Louisiana Christian responded in the third, scoring an unearned run off a fielding error, before later crossing the plate again after drawing a walk to tie the game at 2-2. They added to their totals by taking a 5-2 lead in the fifth.

Alabama A&M scored 10 runs over the next two innings, including a trio of home in the fifth and sixth to give the Bulldogs the lead once and for all. Wallace knocked out a solo bomb in the fifth, while Herbranson hit a two-run shot for the first scores in the sixth. Later in the frame, Riches singled up to middle to bring home a pair of runs and was followed by a two-run homer from Wallace in the sixth to take the 7-5 edge.
 
The Bulldogs continued to add to the lead with an RBI double from Faith Cross that scored Sanders and Jones. Herbranson followed with a single to drive home the final two runs to close the inning with a 12-5 lead.
 
The Wildcats added crossed the plate once in the seventh on another fielding error for the 12-6 final.
 
Sydney Hall started the game in the circle, working the first four innings. The right hander struck out five and allowed four runs off four hits. Krista Sikes picked up the win in relief, striking out four and allowing just four hits in the remaining three innings.

Alabama A&M 12, Southern 11
Avenging a close loss last night, the Bulldogs came from behind with six runs in the final inning to finish the weekend with the 12-11 win. Sykes picked up the win against the Jaguars, working three innings in relief.
 
After a scoreless first, Herbranson got the offense started in the contest with a solo home run to left field. The Bulldogs earned a 3-0 lead in the top half of the fourth after scoring two runs off a throwing error.
 
Southern got on the board in the bottom half of the frame on two hits, including an RBI double from Alana Mark.

Home runs from Wallace and Barnes plated three more runs for the Bulldogs in the fifth, as the shot from Barnes was a two-run homer. However, the Jaguars responded to take their first lead with a huge fifth inning, going up 7-6 before leading 11-6 heading into the top of the seventh.

Alabama A&M used five hits in the final inning to flip the momentum, adding two to their totals on a single down the left field line from Jalia Callaway, who scored later off a double from Sanders.
 
The Bulldogs capitalized off an error to score their next run, getting within a run at 11-10. On the next at-bat, Jones hit a two-run shot to left to give A&M their final lead for the 12-11 final after not allowing another score from Southern.
 
Paige Scott earned the start in the circle, working 4.0 innings and allowing just one run on two hits and striking out three batters. Hall and Sikes worked out of the bullpen.
 
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