JACKSON, Tenn. — After winning nine in a row to start the season, the Lady Raiders have lost seven straight. After losing its final five games in the Crowder Bash, Three Rivers was swept at Jackson State on Tuesday, losing the opener 9-1 in five innings and the nightcap 13-11. The defense has allowed four or more runs in each of the seven losses after giving up that many in two games during the winning streak to start the season. The Lady Raiders (9-7) scored five runs in the first inning of the nightcap and were ahead 6-0 in the third before Jackson State rallied. Randi Scruggs and Kristyn Carpenter singled to start the game and Gracie King hit her second home run of the season to get Three Rivers on the board. Allison Pingel kept the momentum going with a single to left field and Ally Law tripled before eventually scoring on a wild pitch. King double to open the third inning and Pingel followed with an RBI double to right field. Jackson State, however, tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Four of the six runs were unearned. The Tigers (8-10) added four more runs in the fifth and three in the sixth as the Lady Raiders tried to keep up. Kabrien Rogers and Kira Cunningham scored in the top of the sixth inning, cutting the deficit to 10-8. Needing to score five runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, Summer Shockley had a leadoff single and Rogers hit into a fielder's choice. With runners on the corners, Cunningham singled and scored Shockley and Carpenter added a two-run single with two outs. That brought the tying run to the plate in King, who homered in the first inning and double in the second, but this time she grounded out to short. Macy Rogers and Kari Hatridge each pitched three innings with Hatridge taking the loss in relief. Rogers allowed eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts while Hatridge (0-2) allowed seven hits and two walks with one strikeout. Six of Jackson State's 13 runs were earned. Shockley (5-2) allowed a season-high seven walks in the opener. She also hit a batter and had four strikeouts and five hits against over four innings in the loss. Shockley loaded the bases in the first inning without giving up a hit after two walks and an infield error, but got a strikeout to escape. She stranded another runner in a quick second inning before hitting trouble. Shockley walked three straight batters in the third inning before giving up a two-run single. Then in the fourth, she allowed five consecutive runners to reach base. She walked in a run, allowed a bases-loaded, three-run double and hit a batter before getting a pair of fly outs to end the inning. Down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, Shockley gave up a leadoff triple before Carleigh Burnett relieved her. The Raiders then made a pair of errors and Jackson State scored three runs to bring the run-rule into effect.
Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic