By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
All a team wants when it comes to pursuit of postseason play is to control its own destiny.
Thanks to Tuesday's 5-1 win at Bishop State, the Jefferson Davis Community College Lady Warhawks softball team is now in that position.
The win moved JDCC (8-11 in the Alabama Community College Conference and 18-30 overall) one-half game ahead of Alabama Southern for the fourth and final state tournament qualifying position for the south division. Tuesday's second game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning with Bishop State up 7-2. That game will be completed today.
Nikki Madden struck out seven in a complete game six-hitter. She also added a pair of hits at the plate. Lakyn Newton also had a pair of hits, which included RBI singles in the first and third innings that gave the Lady Warhawks a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish. JDCC added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Kayla Galloway factored into two of those runs, as drove in one with a single and scored another on a passed ball. Makeyia Burt got another run home with a fielder's choice.
The Lady Warhawks managed just eight hits and one run in a doubleheader loss at Pensacola Junior College Thursday. The Lady Pirates squeaked out a 2-1 win in game one and a 2-0 victory in game two.
JDCC pitcher Nikki Madden allowed just three its and no earned runs in game one, but was tagged for the loss.
The Lady Warhawks got an RBI single from Carleen Clark in the top of the seventh inning when they pulled within 2-1, but stranded the tying and go-ahead runners on base.
In game two, Lady Warhawks pitcher Lakyn Newton also fell victim to an unearned run allowed by her defense and a lack of run support.
JDCC had just three hits, two of which came in the seventh inning when Madden and Kayla Galloway singled. Both were left stranded on base.
JDCC, which played a
twinbill at Faulkner State Saturday, concludes regular season play Monday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at L.B. Wallace.
Tuesday's game
JDCC 101 011 1 – 5 6 1
Bishop State 000 010 0 – 1 6 2
Thursday's game one
JDCC 000 000 1 – 1 5 2
Pensacola 000 020 X – 2 3 0
Game two
JDCC 000 000 0 – 0 3 2
Pensacola 000 110 X – 2 8 1