By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
It was just a split, but it was the kind of split that could help get the Jefferson Davis Community College Lady Warhawks softball team over the hump and into the state playoffs.
JDCC knocked off the nation's 13th-ranked team and Alabama Community College Conference south division leader, Wallace State-Dothan, 3-0 Thursday in the Lady Warhawks' final home date of the season. The Lady Governors (30-4 overall and 14-2 in the ACCC) bounced back to take the second game 7-1.
JDCC (17-28 overall and 7-11 in the ACCC) rode a stellar pitching performance by Nikki Madden to win the opener. Madden allowed just three hits and struck out five.
The Lady Warhawks got all five of their hits in the bottom of the third inning when they scored all three of their runs. Each of the hits came with two out. Madden started the rally with a single, while Kayla Galloway also singled. Katie Simmons drilled an RBI single. Stacy Sanders followed with a two-run double that made it 3-0.
Wallace State-Dothan outhit JDCC 11-2 in its game two win. The Lady Governors broke up a scoreless game in the top of the third when they strung together three hits and took advantage of three errors by the Lady Warhawks to score three runs.
That was all the offense WSD needed, although it added a pair of runs in the fourth and sixth innings to open up a 7-0 lead.
JDCC scored its lone run in the bottom of the sixth when Makeyia Burt singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
The Lady Warhawks came away with a potentially costly split Tuesday against the visiting Alabama Southern Lady Eagles.
JDCC notched a 1-0 win in game one, but dropped a 4-3 decision in game two.
The split kept the teams tied in the ACCC standings, but the split gave Alabama Southern a 3-1 season edge and the tiebreaker in case the teams finish the season tied.
Lady Warhawks pitcher Nikki Madden threw a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts in the game one win.
The game's only run came in the bottom of the third. Jessica Cunningham walked and Tanna Fontes singles to set up an RBI double by Lakyn Newton. It was the second of three hits Newton had in the game.
JDCC fell victim to a couple of late unearned runs in the game two loss. The Lady Warhawks led 3-2 after four innings, but Alabama Southern tied the game in the fifth with an unearned run and took the lead with another unearned run in the seventh.
JDCC had just one hit in the game, a second inning single by Katie Simmons.
The Lady Warhawks head to Bishop State Tuesday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Tuesday's game one
Alabama So. 000 000 0 – 0 3 1
JDCC 001 000 X – 1 6 1
Game two
Alabama So. 200 010 1 – 4 7 4
JDCC 010 200 0 – 3 1 3
Thursday's game one
WS Dothan 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
JDCC 000 300 X – 3 5 1
Game two
WS Dothan 003 202 0 – 7 11 0
JDCC 000 001 0 – 1 2 3