JSU softball: Richardson, Buffington, Phillips homer as Gamecocks open with a sweep

Feb. 10—JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State opened its softball season Friday with a sweep of a pair of visitors from New York.

At the start of a three-day invitational with three teams playing at University Field, JSU beat Buffalo 9-0 and followed with a 7-2 victory over Army.

JSU originally was set to play in the Mercer Heart of Georgia Classic in Macon, Ga., this weekend, but the weather forecast for that area was poor. So, a last-minute scramble Wednesday morning resulted in JSU hosting Buffalo and Army this weekend.

"I thought we played loose," JSU coach Jana McGinnis said. "I thought we were proud to be at home. It was a good opening day. We saw good things and we saw things we've got to get better on, but overall, for the first day, I'm pleased.

"I'm pleased with the team effort, and I'm pleased with the contributions from freshmen and contributions from veterans. Just for the team overall, I thought it was a good day."

The weather isn't perfect in the Jacksonville area, either, and already has forced a change in Saturday's schedule. Instead of playing in the afternoon, the three teams will hit the field in the morning, hoping they'll beat the predicted rain. Admission is free.

Updated schedule:

—Saturday: 9 a.m.: Army vs. Buffalo, 11:30 a.m.: Army vs. Jacksonville State

—Sunday (no change for now): 9 a.m.: Army vs. Buffalo, 11:30 a.m., Buffalo vs. Jacksonville State

In JSU's opener Friday, the Gamecocks polished off Buffalo in five innings because of the eight-run mercy rule. Sophomore pitcher Sarah Currie worked all five innings and allowed only a pair of singles and a walk. She struck out six.

In the win over Army, sophomore pitcher Kat Carter, last season's ASUN freshman of the year, worked seven innings in the second contest and allowed four hits and one earned run. She struck out five and walked one batter.

"I'm proud of Sarah and Kat," McGinnis said. "Sarah, I'm proud of her because her last two outings in practice she struggled, but she worked hard, and I knew when the game started, she settled and was herself."

Jacksonville State's Lindsey Richardson, a preseason All-ASUN pick, had a big day. She was 2-for-3 in the first game with a homer and four RBIs, and in the second contest, she went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two walks.

Lauren Hunt went 3-for-7 with three singles, three runs and a pair of stolen bases. Hannah Buffington and Ashley Phillips each had a home run.

Hunt, mostly a reserve the previous three years, has stepped up and grabbed the starting job in center field, and she drew raves for her work Friday.

"When she went up to bat, I had no doubt in my mind she was going to get on, no matter what," Richardson said. "Her bat is so smooth. She trusted herself today, and it showed. She did her job. I'm grateful for her."

In the first game, Richardson and Buffington each delivered a two-run homer in the first inning. Richardson doubled home Hunt in the second inning, and Phillips, an Alexandria High grad, followed with an RBI single.

In the fourth, Hunt scored on an error, and Ella Pate came home on a wild pitch. Phillips added a solo home run, which was the first of her college career.

In the second game, JSU took an early lead after Caroline Lively's first career triple drove in Linley Tubbs. Army responded with an unearned run in the top of the third, but JSU took control in the bottom of the fourth by scoring five runs with the help of three Army errors.

Tubbs drove in a run with a single up the middle, and Emma Jones singled. Those were JSU's only two hits of the inning, but they were enough, and the Gamecocks led 6-1.

In the top of the sixth, Army's Maddie Wilkes made it 6-2 with a solo homer. JSU added a final run on an error in the bottom half of the inning.

Who said

—Richardson on her big day: "I was very comfortable. I was trusting myself. I trusted what we worked on for the past months and even in the fall. I trusted what I did over the break. I trusted my team that they were going to be here even if I didn't succeed. Yeah, I was very comfortable."

—Richardson on the team: "This team energy is the best I've ever played with. We love each other. We treat each other like we're each other's best friends all the time, and that just makes for a great team atmosphere. Every single thing we did today was fun, no matter what you did personally."

—McGinnis on Hunt: "I thought Lauren was good. I thought Lauren was good with runners on base, she was good with two outs, she was good with two strikes. She had really good at-bats. One at-bat when we needed something going, she had two strikes on her and the pitcher threw a change-up, and she just base-hit it up the middle. Then with bases loaded, she had the confidence in swinging away. Her game has definitely grown."

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.