HOOVER, A.L. --- The Allen University softball team earned their first win of the 2025 season Tuesday as the Yellow Jackets split a pair of games on the first day of the SIAC Crossover, a three day event held in Hoover, Alabama. In their first game of the day, Allen fell to Kentucky State 11-0 in five innings. However in their second game, the Yellow Jackets prevailed over LeMoyne-Owen, 9-6.
GAMES ONE VS KENTUCKY STATE:
After trailing by seven runs, 7-0, after the first inning, the Allen offense put themselves in scoring position in the top of the second. Freshman
Jeramyah Adams drew a walk, and
Jada Sanders singled to right field to put two on-base with two outs. A passed ball advanced both runners, but they would be stranded at second and third base to end the frame. The Yellow Jackets reached base again in the third inning on a fielding error by the KSU second baseman.
In the circle,
Elissa Rich struck out four batters in 3.1 innings of relief work.
GAME TWO VS LEMOYNE-OWEN:
Despite trailing by four runs, 4-0, after the top of the first inning, the Yellow Jackets would not be discouraged as Allen rallied to secure their first win of the season. In the bottom of the first, Allen's offense was kick-started by a one out double down the left field line by
Destiny Breton. After a fielding error and a passed ball, Allen had both Breton and Rich in scoring position for
Alaina Harvey. The sophomore preseason All-SIAC selection connected on an RBI single to left field to score Breton and cut into the deficit, 4-1. In the next at-bat,
Brionna King doubled to the left centerfield gap to bring home both Rich and Harvey and cap off a three-run frame for the Yellow Jackets.
LeMoyne-Owen held a 4-3 lead until the bottom of the fourth when the Yellow Jackets jumped ahead for the first time Tuesday. After Sanders was hit by a pitch to leadoff the frame, freshman
Tylar Crawford bashed her first career home run to right field to give Allen a 5-4 lead. Later in the inning, Rich lifted an RBI single up the middle to score
Tania Shoulders and extend Allen's advantage to 6-4 in the fourth.
LMO tied the game, 6-6, in the top of the fifth, but it would not take long before Allen reclaimed their lead as the Yellow Jackets plated a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Sanders hammered a solo homerun to centerfield, her first of the season, and later Adams drove in a run with an RBI single to right field.
Allen added their ninth run in the bottom of the sixth inning as
Elissa Rich hit the third home run of the game for Allen, a solo blast to right field.
The Yellow Jackets totaled a season-high 13 hits led by Rich who finished the game with three hits. Also recording multi-hit performances was Harvey and Crawford each with two hits. In the circle, Rich struck out 11 batters in a complete game effort.
UP NEXT:
Allen returns to action tomorrow for day two of the SIAC Crossover at the Hoover Met Complex. The Yellow Jackets will take on Miles College at 11:00 a.m., and later Lane College at 3:00 p.m.
