No. 1 Wallace State softball splits six games in JUCO Classic; WSCC baseball beats Andrew (Ga.) College in Gulf Coast Classic

HANCEVILLE – Wallace State’s top-ranked softball team opened the 2014 season over the weekend, splitting six games in the Creek Indian JUCO Classic held in Atmore.
The freshman-laden Lady Lions (3-3) beat Faulkner State, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Lamar State (Texas) College, while dropping games to Wallace-Dothan, Chattanooga (Tenn.) State and Navarro (Texas) College.
Wallace State shortstop Madeline Lee had a fantastic start to her sophomore campaign, finishing 16 for 25 in a six-game span. Lee finished with a homer, six RBIs, three doubles, nine runs scored and three stolen bases. She had a three-hit performance in three different games.
Fellow sophomore Kori Benson, the 2013 NJCAA national tournament Most Outstanding Defensive player, collected eight hits, including a homer, a double and six RBIs.
Freshman Brooke Kinsey and Amanda Medders each connected on their first collegiate homers in the 8-5 victory over Lamar State. Medders also earned the win on the mound. She went the distance, striking out three and allowing four earned runs.
Wallace State, the NJCAA defending national champ, opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Faulkner State. Kelsey King and Medders combined to blank the Lady Sun Chiefs, and Marcella Ossa, a New York native, drove in Ashleigh McClure in the bottom of the seventh to push across the game-winning run. McClure finished with a pair of hits while Ossa went 2 for 3.
Paige Browning was the winning pitcher for Wallace State in a 10-8 win against Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Andrea McKenzie finished with six hits, including a double, during the tournament and Sabrina Russell added three hits, including a pair of doubles.
Wallace State travels to Texas on Friday to play in the three-day San Jacinto College Tournament.
Wallace State baseball helps Randy Putman inch closer to 900 wins during Gulf Coast College tournament
Wallace State’s baseball team won its final game in the Gulf Coast College Classic in Panama City, Fla., over the weekend.
Freshman pitcher Colton Campbell picked up the win in a 7-2 victory over Andrew (Ga.) College. He went five innings, striking out four and allowing two runs on six hits.
Dalton Carriker went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored for the Lions (2-5), Nate Smith had a pair of singles and two RBIs, Jacob Hill finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored, Colt Buttram had two hits, including a double, and scored a run, Rubert Alcantara had a single and two RBIs, Sam Ayers had a run-scoring hit and Oliver Francis added a single.
Garrett Suchey and Landon Hughes combined for four innings of scoreless relief, helping Wallace State coach Randy Putman reach 892 career victories with the program.
Wallace State dropped its first three games in the tournament, losing to Chattahoochee Valley, defending national champ Central Alabama and St. John’s River (Fla.) State College.
Buttram finished 2 for 2 with a solo homer in the loss to St. John’s.
In a wild 16-6 loss to Central Alabama, Buttram finished with a pair of hits, Luke Porter went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Carriker, Hill and Chris Blakey finished with an RBI apiece.
Wallace State hosts Motlow (Tenn.) State for a doubleheader Friday at James C. Bailey Stadium. First pitch in the opener is set for 1 p.m.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.