Alcorn Musters Five Runs on Nine Hits in Defeat at UL-Monroe

MONROE, Louisiana – The offense took a step forward for the Alcorn State University softball program despite UL-Monroe finishing on top 13-5 in five innings Wednesday at the ULM Softball Complex.

Alcorn (5-22, 2-1 SWAC) registered nine hits which accounted for five earned runs against the Warhawks (19-13, 6-6 SBC). Four of the runs came in a big third inning which saw junior Victoria Tyler blast a three-run shot for her second homer of the year.

"We swung the bats well today. I like how we responded offensively after getting down early. It was good to get out and play against some great competition," said Alcorn head coach Josef Rankin.

BOX SCORE

Freshman Amari Ramsey extended her hitting-streak to 15 games and her on-base streak to 17 games. She doubled down the left field line and scored on a pair of passed balls to plate Alcorn's first run in the third frame.

Freshman Desirea Lindsey and senior Tyler Hughes both knocked singles in the third to score on Tyler's homer. Lindsey and Hughes both notched two hits in the contest as Hughes now has a team-high 12 multi-hit games on the year.

With the run scored, Hughes moved into a tie for third all-time in the Alcorn record book with 88 in her career. She's the all-time hits leader with 172.

The Lady Braves scored their first run in the second inning. With two outs, freshman Malea Dickerson singled through the left side and scored on an RBI double by freshman Bri Smith to left. Smith raised her batting average to .391 on the season which is the second highest on the team behind Hughes (.411).

Alcorn used three different pitchers in the match. Junior Winter Ridgeway got the start and did not allow an earned run in 1.0 inning. Freshman Lindsey Eldridge pitched the next 1.2 frames and sophomore Ambria Dorsey threw the final 2.0.

"We are working on the now, but our program has a promising future ahead of us. At one time today, we had seven freshmen in the lineup. We continue to see flashes against some of these bigger schools, but I believe the consistency will come as we continue to gain experience," Rankin said. "We have a great group of young ladies who have stayed committed to what's asked of them."

The Lady Braves used their 24th different batting order of the year.

The Warhawks extended their winning-streak to seven games including two wins over Jackson State 11-0 and 8-0. They were led by the head coach's daughter Cheyanne Lyon who went two-for-three with three RBI's and two runs scored.

It was the first time Alcorn and UL-Monroe have played since Rankin took
over at the helm in 2014.

"We are looking forward to heading north tomorrow to take care of step No. 4," Rankin concluded.

The Lady Braves have a quick turnaround as they travel to Jackson State tomorrow for a 4 p.m. conference doubleheader. The two teams will close out the series Friday with a game tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. but can be moved earlier to avoid the threat of rain. Alcorn swept the Lady Tigers in a three-game series last year in Lorman, outscoring them 20-4.

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS