TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL: Jax State pounds Seminoles

TUSCALOOSA | The Jacksonville State softball team kept its historical weekend alive for at least one more day, as the Gamecocks used a six-run fourth inning to eliminate Florida State, 10-1, from the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Thursday night at the Alabama Softball Complex.

JSU (40-15) won its first NCAA Tournament game Thursday 4-3 against FSU. The Gamecocks will play Alabama tonight at 7:30 in the championship round.

Ashley Eliasson (16-5) won her second game of the tournament with a complete game outing. She gave up one run on four hits and six walks in five innings of work.

Jacksonville State coach Jana McGinnis said after the Gamecocks were whipped by Alabama 10-1 earlier in the day the team let it go.

“By the time we were cleaning out the dugout they were already saying, ‘Ladies we’re making it to the championship game,’” McGinnis said. “How big is that for Jacksonville State University? I think it’s huge. Make it to the championship game and anything happens.”

Jacksonville State burst open a 1-1 game with a fourth inning that included seven runs, four hits, three errors, three wild pitches and three FSU pitchers.

Whitney Elder started the big inning with a single and Jackie Jarman reached on a FSU error. Kayla Collins, who transferred from Florida State, followed with a two RBI single and Mary Beth Ledbetter reached on an error.

Chrissy O’Neal walked and Nikki Prier had a two RBI single with O’Neal scoring the fifth run of the inning on an error by the FSU catcher Jessica Gilmore.

The Gamecocks scored their final run of the inning on a Tiffany McDonald wild pitch to give JSU an 8-1 lead.

Alana Hicks ended the game in the fifth inning with a two-run walk-off home run to center field.

Eliasson worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth to end the Seminoles chances.

“I’ve been in situations like that previously in the season and I’ve learned that you just have to keep your cool and play like there is nothing wrong,” Eliasson said. “I just needed to calm down and realize that I needed to just pitch better and hit my spots better.”

Collins said it was “very cool” to step and break open a tie game against her former team.

“I think the whole team stepped up and played a role in our big inning,” Collins said. “It was very exciting.”

Florida State beat Chattanooga 5-3 in eight innings earlier in the day to advance to play Jacksonville State for a berth in the championship round on Saturday against Alabama.

The Seminoles got three runs in the top of the eighth inning to put the game away.

FSU got four consecutive singles to score three runs to put the game away out of reach.

Chattanooga’s Michelle Fuzzard stroked a two-out two-run home run off the top of the center field fence to tie the game at 2 to force extra innings.

Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron.suttles@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0229.