GAME ONE BOX SCORE  |  GAME TWO BOX SCORE

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State softball team handed first-place UT Martin its first two conference losses of the season on Friday, when the Gamecocks rolled to 7-5 and 10-2 wins in a doubleheader sweep of the Skyhawks at University Field.

The Gamecocks (15-14, 4-4 OVC) rallied for the win in the opener before handing the Skyhawks (26-6, 7-2 OVC) their first mercy-rule loss of the season in the finale. Seniors Hillary Downs and Chrissy O'Neal each went 4-for-7 on the day and combined to drive in eight runs. JSU improves to 20-4 against UTM since moving to Division I and has won 18 of the last 19 games in the series.

JSU hit .412 as a team on the day against the OVC's top pitching team, thanks to a lineup that saw seven players record multiple hits, including freshman Kelci Johnston and sophomore Kaycee Crow, who were each 3-for-6 in the twinbill.

In the opener, Downs' first home run of the day put the Gamecocks in control early on. She blasted a three-run shot in the first to plate Sallie Beth Burch and Nikki Prier and gave JSU a 3-0 lead.

The Skyhawks got one back in the top of the third on a solo homer from Megan Williams, only to watch the Gamecocks answer in the home half of the inning. JSU had a chance to break the game open with the bases loaded and no outs. Burch drew a walk to score Chrissy O'Neal from third, but UTM brought Chelsea Jones into the circle and she got out of the inning without allowing another run.

UTM got a two-run single from Jordan Garrett that cut the Gamecocks' lead to 4-3 in the fourth and then took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on a single by Kate Vanderham.

The lead was short-lived, however, thanks to Amanda Crow's third home run of the season. The two-run blast bounced off of and over the top of the wall in left center to reclaim the lead for JSU, 6-5. The Gamecocks would tack on an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI double from Burch that scored O'Neal from second and gave them the deciding 7-5 advantage.

UTM mounted a threat in the seventh by getting runners at the corners with two outs, but Kalah Mathis, who represented the tying run at first, ran the Skyhawks out of the game by getting gunned down by catcher Kaycee Crow trying to steal second.

Freshman Hilary Phillips (5-7) earned the win in relief for the Gamecocks. The Ider, Ala., native held the Skyhawks to three hits in three scoreless innings. She relieved Ashley Eliasson, who surrendered five runs, four earned, on seven hits in just over four innings in the circle.

Chelsea Jones (5-3) was tagged with the loss after she gave up three runs, just one earned, on four hits in three innings. Vanderham started the game for the Skyhawks and was chased after surrendering four runs on five hits and two walks in just two innings in the circle. Paij Lintz tossed the final inning and allowed just one hit.

The Gamecocks went deep in the first of the second game, as well, this time a solo blast from O'Neal to lead off the frame that gave them a 1-0 lead. The homer just cleared the wall in right center and gave the Dallas, Ga., native 37 in her career at JSU, moving her past Rachel Countryman for second on the school's career homers list.

Megan Van Arsdale tied the game in the top of the second on a solo homer, but the Gamecocks ran away from that point. They plated two in the second, three in the third and four in the fifth to end the game via the mercy rule.

O'Neal drove in the final two runs of the game on a double off the wall in center, capping a 2-for-4 game that saw her drive in three. Downs was 3-for-3 in the finale woth a pair of RBI and a pair of runs. Sophomore Kaycee Crow went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, thanks to an RBI double in the third and a run scoring single in the fifth.

Eliasson (10-7) earned the win in the nightcap, holding the Skyhawks to two runs on five hits in five innings in the circle. Lintz (11-2) suffered her second loss of the year after giving up six runs on seven hits in just two innings of work. Leevie Greenwood went the final 2.1 for UTM and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in the process.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m. Admission is free for all fans.