VICKSBURG, Miss. – Jackson State was able to take advantage of a couple of Eastern Illinois errors in the fourth inning as the Tigers held on to beat EIU 5-4 in the opening game of the River City Classic II Tournament.
JSU was able to score all five of its runs in the crucial fourth frame to win the opening game of the weekend event. Mari Stephens had the big hit of the inning with a 3-run homer against EIU starter
Olivia Price (0-1). Alexis Arrendondo delivered the other big JSU hit of the inning with a run scoring single.
Eastern Illinois had jumped out to an early lead in the game scoring two runs in the first against JSU starter Takiya Hill (2-0).Â
Morgan Lewis and
Megan Burton both singled to open the game with
Riley Dittmar clearing the bases with a two-run triple. Hill was able to pitch out of the jam to end the inning and finished the game with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work.
The Panthers would threaten again in the top of the fifth as they scored two runs to cut the JSU lead to 5-4. In the inning
Lindy Milkowski had an RBI double while Dittmar drove in her third run of the day. Dittmar finished 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI.
With runners at second and third in the fifth, JSU relief pitcher Victoria Salazar was able to get the final out of the inning preserving JSU's lead. EIU would also put a runner in scoring position in the top of the seventh. Salazar picked up her first save of the year.
EIU fell to 1-4 on the season and was set to play North Alabama later on Friday afternoon before two additional games on Saturday and two on Sunday. JSU improved to 6-2 on the year.
Lewis added two hits for EIU while Laurent Stewart was the lone JSU player with multiple hits going 2-for-4.
