JACKSONVILLE, ALA-The Jacksonville State womens softball team swept a doubleheader from Furman here Friday. The Lady Gamecocks won game one, 7-3. JSU shut out the Lady Paladins in game two, 4-0.

The Lady Gamecocks rattled off ten hits off Furman pitcher Ashley Rahl. Christine Tucker opened the bottom of the first off with a triple to right center, and scored on ground out by Laruen Buck, giving JSU the early 1-0 lead. Furman battled back in the second. Kelley Van Houten started the Lady Paladin rally with a base hit. Kelly Jack bunted the runner over to second. Rayl doubled to right field, driving Van Houten and tying the game at one apiece. Chrissy Hacker flied out to right field, moving Rayl over to third. Amanda Lewis grounded out, and Melissa Hutton struck out to end the inning. Jax State drew blood again in the third inning. Tucker reached on a bunt single to lead off the inning, and then was caught stealing second. Terrah Foster then doubled, followed by Buck reaching on an error by the third basemen. Foster was thrown out in a rundown, with Boland reaching on the fielders choice, and Buck safe at second. Hollie Bowyer singled to left field, driving in Buck to give JSU a 2-1 lead. Toni Duncan then doubled to left again, this time driving in Boland, and JSU led 3-1. Tanya Carter ended the inning with a ground out to third.

The Paladins struck back in the fifith. Hutton singled to left to lead-off the inning. Saskia Gazenbeek and Katherine Brittain reached on fielders choices, with Charm Eaddy running for Hutton. She broke up a potential double play and reached second safely for Gazenbeek. On Brittains ground out, she was forced out at third. Erin Keen sacrificed the runners to second and third with two out. Van Houton came up and doubled, driving in two runs to tie the game at three.

JSU blew the game wide open in the sixth. Bowyer opened up the inning by reaching on a walk. Duncan reached on a bunt single, with Bowyer advancing to third. Bowyer scored on an error by the catcher, with Carter reaching first and Duncan advancing all the way to third. Tiffanie Cain singled to center field driving in Duncan. Michelle Uribe doubled down the left field line, driving in Carter and giving JSU a 6-3 lead. Foster hit a sacrifice fly to center, driving in Cain, to give a JSU a 7-3 lead heading in the seventh. JSUs Jill Wilcoxson held the Paladins scoreless in the seventh and improved her record to 5-4. Rayl got the loss for Furman.

Wilcoxson gave up nine hits and struck out six in seven innings of work. With all the fireworks game one had to offer, game two seemed timid. Both teams were locked into a pitchers duel into the fourth inning. Buck opened up the inning with a double down the left field line. Bowyer was hit by a hit by a pitch. Both players advanced on a wild pitch. Then with a 3-1 count, Furmans pitcher, Chrissy Hacker, uncorked another wild pitch, with Buck scoring from third to give JSU a 1-0 lead. Then facing Boland, Hacker threw another wild pitch, this time, Bowyer scored, and JSU led 2-0, and Duncan is on third. Boland struck out, yet Cain came through again, this time with a sacrifice fly to center, with Duncan tagging up to score, and JSU led after four, 3-0.

The Lady Gamecocks scored all three runs in that inning on just one hit. JSU got some insurance in the sixth, with Boland reaching on a two out single. Cain came through with her second RBI of the game, with a double to left center, and spotting the Lady Gamecocks a 4-0 lead. Buck threw seven innings, giving up only five hits and only walking one batter for the win. She improved her record to 2-1 on the year. Hacker got the loss for Furman.

The Lady Gamecocks are now 7-5 on the young season, and travel to Mississippi State Saturday, in a doubleheader with the Bulldogs.

Courtesy of JSU Sports Information