Softball Wins Series Over Southern

BATON ROUGE, La. - Texas Southern softball captured its third straight SWAC series as they split a doubleheader with Southern on Saturday.
 
SU 5, TSU 4 (10)
Southern crossed home a run in the 10^th inning as TSU fell 5-4 in the opener.
 
Tamera McKnight opened the scoring in the first with an RBI double which scored Daryn Haslam for the early 1-0 TSU lead. The lead would hold until the third as SU hit a solo homer but McKnight struck again with a two-run homer in the fourth for a 3-1 lead. McKnight added another RBI in the fifth to score Julia Bilbao as TSU upped the margin to 4-1.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, SU found itself in the same situation as TSU on Friday as back-to-back homers tied the game at 4-all. The contest turned into a pitcher's duel between TSU reliever Nora Rodriguez and SU's Raquel Latta for the next few innings but TSU had a shot to score in the ninth.
 
Tavanae Tate reached base on a one out error by SU and moved to second on Ja'Lynn Swiney's single. Tate was thrown out at third on Jordan McClain's fielder's choice but Julia Bilbao loaded the bases with a walk. However, the threat would end on a groundout.
 
After a scoreless bottom of the ninth and the international run rule in place to open the 10th, Pamela Richardson moved to third with no outs but TSU couldn't capitalize. SU's Alana Mark broke the tie in the 10^th with an RBI double.
 
McKnight finished 3-for-4 with a run, two walks and four RBI. Rodriguez dropped to 1-2 on the season in a relief effort on the mound.
 
TSU 5, SU 1
TSU only needed two innings to score and relied on its defense to do the rest as they won the series after a 5-1 win.
 
McKnight once again remained hot at the plate as she drove in Bilbao for the early 1-0 lead in the first. TSU broke the game open in the second as Tate hit a two-run homer followed by Daryn Haslam's 2-RBI single for the 5-0 lead.
 
Starter Jazmine Gendorf cruised until the fourth as SU hit a leadoff triple before scoring on an RBI groundout for the 5-1 score. Down to their final at-bat in the seventh, SU led the inning off with a single before TSU recovered with back-to-back outs. An error by TSU put SU's second runner on base but TSU recovered and forced a game-ending groundout for the series win.
 
Bilbao finished 3-for-4 with two runs followed by McKnight's 2-for-4 outing with an RBI. Tate also had two hits and two RBI. Gendorf went the distance with five strikeouts on four hits in a complete game performance.
 
TSU is back in action Tuesday for a doubleheader at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 2 p.m.