Jax State softball: Elrod's blast, Moore's strong finish lifts first-place Gamecocks
· Yahoo Sports
JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State softball's Emma Elrod doesn't think of herself as a home run hitter, and with her standing a slender 5-foot-4, probably not a whole lot of other folks do, either.
Still, good luck to any pitcher who isn't careful when Elrod stands in the batter's box.
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She has a knack for the long ball, especially at times when the Gamecocks need it most. In Saturday's 6-2 home win over New Mexico State, she broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run, no-doubt shot over the left field fence in the fourth inning.
"I don't try to hit home runs, but there were runners in scoring position, and I knew we needed a lead. So I was just like, if a ball comes, put it in play. And it went over the fence," said Elrod, who now has 20 career home runs in her three years in Jax State red and white.
The second she struck the ball, she figured it would go out.
"I did," she said. "I did think it would. But, I knew the wind was coming in. So, I was like, OK, maybe not, but it felt really good coming off the bat."
That moment changed the atmosphere: while the Jax State dugout reacted as if someone had set off a bundle of fireworks, that homer deflated the New Mexico State more flat than an old spare tire.
"I think we knew the whole time that we were going to win that game," Elrod said. "There was nobody that was going to beat us, and I think that just gave us the extra inch, the extra energy that we needed just to finish the game."
The win was especially important in showing how Jax State handles adversity. The Gamecocks lost Friday to the Aggies, giving each team one win in the three-game series. Head coach Julie Boland told her players afterward that the question was how were they going to respond.
Turns out, they responded quite well.
That win gave Jax State two victories in the three-game series and kept the Gamecocks in control of the Conference USA standings. Jax State is 13-2 in league play, while Liberty and Western Kentucky are two games back at 11-4. Sam Houston is fourth at 9-6.
"I'm so proud of this team, because after yesterday, they had a different look in their eyes today, and they moved forward," Boland said. "They took a big step forward. I'm very proud of them for that."
If Elrod's homer was the No. 1 moment in Saturday's win, then freshman pitcher Makenna Moore provided moment No. 1A. New Mexico State loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth inning but managed only one run in the inning.
Instead of getting a big inning, New Mexico State had to settle for a 2-2 tie.
Meanwhile, Moore (11-1) quietly dominated the last half of the game. She retired each of the final 11 batters she faced.
"Only giving up one run was ginormous for us," Boland said. "It was like she reached a different level. She locked in, and she started spinning the ball even better, and our defense got to make some plays behind her. She got better and better and better."
Boland made one change to the batting order, and it paid off. She moved shortstop Aria Davis from seventh to fifth, and she went 2-for-3 with an RBI. In the last six games, she has gone 8-for-18, which has raised her average to .301.
"She has a different approach," Boland said. "She's calmer in the box right now. She's taken her time, she's found her rhythm, and she's putting great swings on the ball. So if she can stay there, she'll stay up there in the lineup."
What to know
—Moore pitched all seven innings and allowed two hits, two walks and one earned run. She struck out eight.
—Elrod finished 3-for-4 with a double, the home run and three RBIs.
—Nowakowski was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
—Mikayla Deville was 1-for-2 with a walk. Jaci Underwood was 1-for-2 with a successful sacrifice bunt. Her hit was a line shot up the middle that struck pitcher Taryn Bennett in the shin. Makalyn Kyser was 1-for-3.
—Bennett (2-4) pitched the first 3⅓ innings, and the last batter she faced was Elrod, who hit the home run. Faith Aragon relieved and pitched the final 2⅔ innings. She pitched complete games Thursday and Friday. For the series, Aragon worked 15⅔ innings and threw 267 pitches. She struck out 15, walked three and allowed 13 hits and four earned runs.
Next up
—Jax State (29-11) will play at Georgia Tech on Tuesday at 5 p.m.