SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah State University softball team (19-19) split the doubleheader against Jacksonville (24-25) in a nonconference battle Tuesday at the Lady Tiger Softball Field.
 
The Lady Tigers fell in game one 14-10 after leading 10-9 after six innings, but two errors extended the top of the seventh inning and the Dolphins scored five runs with two outs to win the game.  The Lady Tigers won game two 8-4 after scoring seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
 
Sophomore shortstop Brianna Harris led the team at the plate going a combined .714 (5-for-7) with two runs scored, two triples and four RBIs for a slugging percentage of 1.286 and an on-base percentage of .750 in two games, while junior right fielder Alexis Singleton batted .625 (5-for-8) with two runs scored and four RBIs and recorded a .667 on-base percentage.
 
Junior left fielder Chasney Jenkins batted .571 (4-for-7) with four runs scored, a double and an RBI, with a .700 on-base percentage, while senior right fielder Molly Lillis batted .500 (4-for-8) with three runs scored.
 
Jacksonville 14, Savannah State 10
Harris and Singleton each went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, while Lillis went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.  Jenkins, freshman third baseman Cortni Jones, junior designated player Amanda Hallman and senior second baseman Antonette Smith each recorded two hits.  On the mound, sophomore pitcher Ashley Eichenlaub (4-6) picked up the loss pitching a complete game giving up seven earned runs on 14 hits.
 
Jacksonville scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the first inning after a two-round double with no outs, but the Lady Tigers answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to cut JU's lead to 2-1 after one inning.
 
Jenkins started the inning with a walk and Harris followed up with a single up the middle and Singleton reached on an infield single to load the bases with no outs.  Senior first baseman Torrian Wright was hit by a pitch on the first pitch to bring in Jenkins, but a double play lineout to the third baseman and a throw to first recorded two outs with runners on second and third.  The next batter groundout to the shortstop to end SSU's threat.
 
The Dolphins scored three runs in the top of the second to give JU a 5-1 lead after an RBI error by the shortstop and a two-run single to right field.
 
The Lady Tigers bounced back in the second inning scoring another run to cut the lead to 5-2 after two innings.  After back-to-back groundouts to the shortstop and second base to start the inning, Lillis singled to left field and Jenkins singled to center field.  Harris followed up with an RBI single up the middle to score Lillis and Singleton's four pitch walk, loaded the bases with two outs.  A lineout to the third base ended SSU's threat and to leave the bases loaded.
 
Jacksonville scored two more runs in the top of the third inning to take a 7-2 lead after an error allowed a Dolphin to score and a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
The Lady Tigers scored another run in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 7-3 after three innings.  Jones started the inning with a double and Hallman sacrifice Jones to third for the first out of the inning.  A pop out to the pitcher was the second out, by Smith reached first base to score Jones from third. 
 
Lillis hit an infield single and Jenkins reached base by an error by the shortstop to load the bases with two outs, but a groundout to the first baseman ended the Savannah State threat.
 
The Dolphins add another run in the top half of the next inning to take an 8-3 lead after an error to allow a Dolphin to score. 
 
The Lady Tigers took the lead by a run, 9-8, after four innings after scoring six runs in the fourth.  Singleton started the inning with a single and Wright sacrifice Singleton to second.  Jones doubled down the left field line to score Singleton for the first run of the game and Hallman doubled to center field to bring home Jones for the second run.  After a foul out to third base for the second out of the inning, Smith singled to right field to bring in Hallman for the third run and Lillis singled to left field to put runners on first and second with two outs.
 
The Dolphins changed pitchers, but Harris walked on four pitches to bring in Smith and to keep the bases loaded for the fourth run of the inning and Singleton singled to the shortstop to bring in Lillis for the fifth run.  The final run of the inning came when Wright walked on five pitches to bring in Jenkins, but a lineout to center field ended the inning with the bases loaded.
 
Jacksonville tied the game at nine after an RBI single to right field in the top of the fifth inning.  The Lady Tigers went scoreless in the bottom half of the inning for the first scoreless half inning of the game.
 
The Dolphins also went scoreless in the top of the sixth inning, but the Lady Tigers took a run lead, 10-9, after Singleton's groundout back to the pitcher to score Harris, who reached on a triple.

After the first two batters recorded outs, the Dolphins recorded a single and an error by the third baseman extended the inning and to put runners on first and second.  Another error by the third baseman loaded the bases with two outs.
 
A hit-by-pitch scored the tying run, but the next batter hit a grand slam to left field for the final runs of the game. 
 
Victoria Brown went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs for the Dolphins, while Heather Roberts, Jordan Daniels, Kristen Griffith and Ciara Jones each recorded two hits.  Roberts scored twice and recorded four RBIs, while Griffith and Jones each scored twice.  On the mound, Paige Curtis pitched the first 3.2 innings giving up seven earned runs on 12 hits, while Taylor Rossman (4-7) recorded the win in relief pitching the final 3.1 innings giving up two earned runs on five hits.
 
Savannah State 8, Jacksonville 4
Jenkins, Harris, Singleton and junior catcher Tia Bolden each recorded two hits, while Jenkins scored twice with an RBI, Harris recorded a run scored and two RBIs, Singleton recorded a run scored and two RBIs and Tia Bolden recorded two RBIs.  On the mound, freshman pitcher Kasie Johnson (4-2) picked up the win pitching the first five innings giving up four earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts, while freshman pitcher Faith Dickerson picked up her first collegiate save pitching the final two shutouts innings with no hits.
 
Jacksonville broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a run scored by an RBI single to right field and left the bases loaded, but the Lady Tigers tied the game at one after Harris singled to center field to bring home freshman designated player Peyton Mitchell.
 
The Dolphins scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning for a 4-1 lead after two RBI doubles and an RBI groundout, but the Lady Tigers took their first lead of the game after scoring five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-4 lead.
 
The inning started with a fly out to center field, while Jenkins singled to the shortstop and Harris triple down the left field line to bring home Jenkins for the first run of the inning.  Singleton singled to center field to bring home Harris, while Wright was hit by a pitch.  Tamara Jones pinch ran for Wright and Singleton and Tamara Jones each stole a base to put runners on second and third with one out. 
 
Jones walked on four pitches to load the bases, but Bolden cleared the bases with a two-run single and the third run scored on an error by the catcher off the throw to second base to allow the runner on third to come home.  The next two batters each flied out to center field to end the inning.
 
Savannah State scored the final runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with two runs to give the Lady Tigers the four-run win.  Lillis started the inning with a single up the middle and stole second and Jenkins doubled to center field to bring home Lillis and Harris sacrifice Jenkins to third for the first out of the inning.
 
Singleton singled up the middle to score Jenkins for the second run and stole second base, but a fly out to center field recorded the second out of the inning.  Jones was hit by a pitch and the next batter hit a fielder's choice to get the runner out at second to end the inning.
 
The Dolphins loaded the bases in the top half of the next inning in their last chance, but a strikeout and the throw to first to complete the out ended any scoring opportunity for Jacksonville.
 
Jacqueline Hodskins and Brown led the Dolphins with a two hits, a run scored and an RBI each, while Emily Sanchez and Roberts each recorded an RBI.  Rossman (3-8) picked up the loss pitching a complete game giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits. 
 
The Lady Tigers continue their 10-game homestand with a three-game series against North Carolina A&T State (13-25, 2-7 MEAC) with a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and a solo game Sunday at noon for Senior Day at the Lady Tiger Softball Field.
 
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