Texas Southern returned to form this weekend as they swept Alcorn State in a softball doubleheader at Memorial Park.
TSU 3, ALCORN STATE 1
Ja'Lynn Swiney's RBI single in the sixth broke open a tie game as TSU fought back for a 3-2 win in the opener.
Alcorn State scored a run in the top of the first and added another in the fourth to lead 2-0. The TSU bats would awaken in the fifth as Paris Johnson singled and stole second. Deana Zuniga would draw a walk and both Johnson and Zuniga stole bases as a wild pitch by ASU would cut the deficit in half for TSU.
In the sixth, pinch hitter Lanay Carr led the inning off with a triple and would score one batter later on Marisa Perla's RBI double. Jordan McClain would single as Ja'Lynn Swiney drove in Perla for the final run of the game as freshman Maren Berger ended the game with three straight groundouts on the mound.
Perla finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Berger improved to 4-4 after a complete game effort.
TSU 5, ALCORN STATE 1
TSU used timely batting and solid defensive play to claim the series after a 5-1 win over Alcorn State
Pam Richardson led the second off with a walk and moved to third after two wild pitches. Marisa Perla's sac fly scored Richardson for the 1-0 lead. Jordan McClain drew a walk, stole second and scored the game's second run on Paris Johnson's RBI single to the pitcher.
In the fourth, Ja'Lynn Swiney singled and made her way to third after Paris Johnson's single and a wild pitch. Swiney moved the score to 3-0 on Deana Zuniga's RBI. Two innings later, McClain led the sixth off with a single followed by a Swiney bunt single. Karisma Garcia's two-RBI single to center broke the game open as TSU claimed a 5-0 lead.
ASU would score for the first time in the seventh but the TSU defense ended the game with a pickoff at the plate to add an exclamation mark. Johnson (2-for-2) and Swiney (2-for-3) led the way offensively as Johnson had an RBI while Swiney collected two runs.
Madalynn Gonzales allowed only three hits and struck out two as she went the distance on the mound.
TSU is back in action at Grambling State on Friday at 3 p.m.
