Box Score
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Tiffany Harbin recorded six strikeouts and tossed six scoreless innings to lead Jacksonville State (20-21, 14-6) to a 2-1 victory over Southeast Missouri (14-24, 7-12) Saturday afternoon at the Southeast Softball Complex.
JSU handed Southeast its 11
th Ohio Valley Conference loss by one or two runs this season en route to its series win.
Harbin, working with a 2-0 lead after Savannah Sloan scored on an error in the second inning and Kelci Johnston touched home on a two-out triple by Hayden Crawford in the fourth, did not allow a hit in her first four frames.
Renee Kertz then wrecked Harbin's no-hit bid when she crushed her second home run of the season deep over the left field wall to cut the Gamecocks lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
Southeast had its chances in the last two innings.
The Redhawks had runners on first and second with no outs in the sixth after
Brittany Smith reached on an infield single and
Evan Sallis bunted for a hit. After
Cheyenne Gipson reached on a fielder's choice,
Lindsey Patterson hit into a double play to end the inning.
Southeast brought the go-ahead run to the plate with a runner on and one out in the seventh. Kertz drew a one-out walk and pinch-runner
Leah Becker entered the game. On the next play, Becker was thrown out trying to steal second base. Moments later,
Xia Wilson popped out to second baseman Tyris Branford.
Harbin (10-5) gave up only three hits and faced 24 hitters, three over the minimum.
Alora Marble (9-11) took the loss. Marble scattered six hits and allowed two runs, while striking out one in
seven innings. It was Marble's 15
th complete game this season.
Crawford went 2-for-3 with one RBI to lead JSU, while four other Gamecocks followed with a hit.
Kertz led Southeast, going 1-for-1 with a home run, run scored, one RBI and two walks.
Southeast closes out its season-long seven-game homestand when it hosts Middle Tennessee in a doubleheader on Apr. 11. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., CT, at the Southeast Softball Complex.
