RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team completed a weekend sweep of North Alabama in an instant classic Sunday, earning a walk-off extra-inning victory.
After North Alabama erased a 5-2 deficit to force extra innings,
Jordan Smith delivered the biggest moment of the day, blasting a walk-off home run to cap a perfect weekend for the Colonels.
The game featured three pitchers on each side, with
Bayle Hunnicutt (7-6) earning the win in the circle. The freshman struck out seven batters while allowing two hits and two runs, and came up with timely stops to slow down the Lions' offense. As a team, EKU's defense stranded 12 runners, while North Alabama went 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.
At the plate, the bottom of the order played a key role for the Colonels as
Riley Oleksik and
Jocelyn Owen delivered timely hits.
Jaelin Haynes also had a big day, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Colonels struck first in the opening inning when
Reese Knox singled and later stole home to give EKU the early lead. North Alabama answered in the top of the second with two doubles to tie the game.
In the top of the third,
Victoria Byrum entered in relief and stranded two runners to end the inning.
After a walk by
Skyler Billips in the bottom of the fourth,
Riley Oleksik extended the lead with an RBI double to left-center, scoring Billips for her second hit of the season. Later in the inning, Haynes singled through the left side to bring home Owen and give EKU a 3-1 advantage.
The Lions cut into the lead in the top of the fifth after back-to-back singles put runners in scoring position before an RBI single made it 3-2.
EKU answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Smith singled and
Jada McLeod drew a walk before
Jocelyn Owen delivered the first double of her career, driving in both runners.
Trailing 5-2 in the top of the sixth, North Alabama tied the game with a three-run inning. The leadoff batter homered to deep left field, prompting a pitching change for the Colonels. After runners moved into scoring position, Hunnicutt re-entered the game. Following a wild pitch and a walk, the Lions loaded the bases and scored twice on walks.
The Colonels responded with two of the biggest defensive plays of the game, tagging out a runner at home and recording a foul out to strand the bases loaded.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the game moved to extras. Neither team could break through until the bottom of the ninth, when Smith led off the inning in dramatic fashion. On a 3-2 count, she launched the first home run of her career to seal the sweep over the conference-leading Lions.
NEXT UP
With the series sweep, the Colonels (21-19, 10-4 ASUN) are now tied with Central Arkansas for first place in the Gold Division, though the Bears hold the tiebreaker. EKU returns home for two midweek matchups against Morehead State before hosting Central Arkansas in a key conference series with division title implications.
