Army Falls in Pair of Games at River City Leadoff

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – The Army West Point softball team dropped a pair of games on the second day of the River City Leadoff to Jacksonville State and host school Jacksonville.
Game 1: Jacksonville State 4, Army 3 (8 Innings)

Five different Cadets recorded a hit. It was Army’s first extra-inning game of the year.Kristen McPeek tallied her 42nd career multi-hit game after going 2-for-3 at the dish. She scored two of the team’s three runs and leads the squad with five on the season.Macey Newbary made her first start in the circle this season.Courtney Springman fanned five batters in five innings of work out of the pen, while only allowing one earned run.Julia Wyatt and Ally Snelling tallied their first career base hits.

The Gamecocks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning after a one-out solo home run by Jada Terry. In the third, Terry led off the inning by reaching on an Army error. She then stole second and later moved over to third on an Alexus Jimmerson single up the middle. Terry would go on to score on a costly fielding error by the Black Knights to put the Gamecocks up by two.

In the fifth, Madison Cole singled down the left field line with one out before Amelia Trotter pinch ran for her and stole second. Trotter scored with ease during the following at-bat as McPeek rifled a ball down the left field line for an RBI triple. Katie Ontiveros was due up next and she brought McPeek in for the game-tying score on an RBI single through the right side.
Jacksonville State would go on and get one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning to regain the lead, 3-2. The one-run advantage held until the top of the seventh.

McPeek tallied her second base hit of the day and then stole second to get into scoring position with one out. After advancing to third on a groundout to the left side of the infield, she crossed the plate on a wild pitch to even the score up at three.

In the top half of the eighth, Army loaded the bases with two outs, but the Gamecocks worked out of the jam. The Gamecocks came up to bat and with a runner on second and no outs. Jacksonville State recorded a bunt single and the runner moved to third before later scoring on a sacrifice fly to left to capture the win.

Game 2: Jacksonville 10, Army 2 (5 Innings)
Amelia Trotter notched Army’s first double of the season.Madison Bryant made her first collegiate appearance in the circle and struck out three batters in 2.1 innings.Megan Muffett recorded her first career hit.

In the first inning, Taylor Livingston drew a base on balls with one out. Madison Cole then stepped up to the plate and drove her in with an RBI single to center.

The Army lead did not hold for long though as the Dolphins would respond with four runs in the bottom of the inning, before putting up another four in the second to go ahead 8-1.

Cole led off for the Black Knights in the fourth and reached safely on a Jacksonville fielding error. After the Dolphins retired the ensuing two Cadets, Trotter doubled into center and Cole came in to score and trim the deficit to six. Trotter would be left stranded at second and Army could only muster one more hit in the contest, while Jacksonville plated two in the fifth to seal the 10-2 victory.