JASPER, Ala. -- The Miles softball team ran its win streak to five games with two solid wins to open the three-day Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Crossover Thursday at Memorial Park. The Lady Bears (5-18, 5-0 SIACÂ West) battled for a 4-2 win over Fort Valley State before punishing Clark Atlanta 15-2, run-rule victory.
Jazzmyn Shelton (four hits, four runs batted in) and
Alexus Gonzalez (three hits, seven RBI) were the day's offensive stars while
Kendruena McPherson and
Magen Rich were both solid in the circle.
GAME 1: Miles 4, Fort Valley State 2
The Lady Bears had just four hits but were able to take care of several Fort Valley State miscues to earn the victory. McPherson scored on a wild pitch in the first and
Ombreyah Daly also scored on a wild pitch in the second to stake Miles to a 2-0 lead. But a two-out error by
Zakierra Webb in the third allowed to Wildcats to score to tie the game.
But Webb would help get the lead back in the fourth. She reached on an error to lead off the inning and promptly stole second. She then stole third and as the ball got away, she scampered home to give the Lady Bears a 3-2 lead. In the fifth, McPherson would get to second on another FVSU error - one of seven in the game - and would take third on a wild pitch. She would score on a single by Shelton, which was the only run Miles drove in during the game.
Rich (W: 2-10; 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K) was pitching well into the sixth but with one out and the tying run at the plate, head coach
Patrick Peasant called on McPherson to get out of the jam and she did just that. She retired the last five hitters in order to end the game and earn her first save.
GAME 2: Miles 15, Clark Atlanta 2 (5 innings)
Gonzalez set the stage for a huge game when she singled in the top of the first to drive in two runs. Clark Atlanta would get those runs back in the bottom of the inning but it was all Lady Bears from there.
Miles would break the game open with a six-run second. Shelton would put the Lady Bears on top for good with a run-scoring single and
Davis Watkins would get hit by a pitch to drive in another run. With the bases still loaded, Gonzales would follow with a triple that cleared the bases and scored on a RBI groundout by Rich that increased the lead to 8-2.
The Lady Bears came for more in the third. Shelton and Webb would drive in single runs and Gonzalez would add her third hit - a two-run single - that knocked in two and gave her a career-high seven RBI as part of a five-run inning and a 13-2 advantage. Shelton (3-for-4, 3 RBI, 3 runs, SB) would drive in
Kristie Looney (2-for-3, 3 runs, SB) before Webb (3-for-4, 4 runs, 2 SB, RBI) scored on an error to close out the scoring. McPherson (3-6) was phenomenal, again, after the first inning issues. She pitched her third complete game of the week, striking out seven and allowing just four hits as Miles remained undefeated in conference play.
UP NEXT: Miles was one of four teams to win both games on Day 1 of the Crossover. The Lady Bears will open with one of those teams - defending SIAC Champion Claflin - Friday at 12:15 p.m. They follow with Paine at 2:30 p.m.
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