DeFee, Blevins stymie Gadsden State as No. 7 Wallace State softball earns sweep in home conference opener
HANCEVILLE – Wallace State sophomore pitchers Lindsey DeFee and BreeAnna Blevins are on quite a roll. Each continued their impressive work Tuesday, combining to allow only four hits in a doubleheader sweep over Gadsden State in the Lady Lions’ conference home opener at Bobby McCracken Stadium.
DeFee improved to 15-3 on the season, tossing a two-hit shutout in the opener, a 2-0 victory. She struck out four and faced only one batter over the minimum, winning her seventh consecutive start.
Blevins (14-3) was equally as dominant in the nightcap and has won four of her last five starts. She struck out five and yielded only two hits in a five-inning, 9-1 victory for the defending state champions.
“We know both Lindsey and BreeAnna aren’t going give up many runs. They’re both maturing and gaining more and more confidence with each outing,” said Wallace State coach Jayne Clem. “The offense has got to make sure to carry its weight and provide the run support both pitchers need. We’ve struggled recently with pitchers who are slowing things down on us, so we’ve got to quit thinking and just relax.”
In the second game, Wallace State’s offense exploded for a seven-run fifth inning, highlighted by back-to-back homers from Katie Gentle and Paige Rowland. Gentle slugged a three-run shot, her eighth of the year, and Rowland followed with a solo shot, her seventh, to turn a close game into a blowout. The Lady Lions added three more runs in the inning, capping the win by the mercy rule.
Gentle finished 3-for-3 with the homer and a double, Rowland was 2-for-3 and Annie Holcomb had a pair of hits, including her first collegiate home run. Elizabeth Jordan and Madeline Lee each had a single and scored a run and Hali Presley contributed an RBI single.
Wallace State (32-7, 5-1 Alabama Community College Conference) edged Gadsden State in the opener by plating its only runs in the fifth. Maria Mitchell and Shaquille Morris led off the inning with consecutive singles and each advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Mitchell scored on a Sabrina Russell sacrifice fly, and Gentle had a clutch two-out double to score Morris.
Mitchell finished 2-for-2 with a run scored, Laken Hancock had a multi hit game and Lee and Brittany Gillison had a single apiece.
Wallace State, winners of five of the last six ACCC state championships, travels to Fyffe on Thursday to play Motlow State in a non-conference affair and plays at Calhoun on Saturday.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.
###
______________________________
Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 Direct line: 256-352-8443
256-352-8314 fax
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu