BOX SCORE

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State softball team capped a record-setting offensive weekend on Sunday, when a 15-6 mercy-rule win over Eastern Kentucky finished off a series sweep of the Colonels in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Gamecocks (23-16, 10-6 OVC) got 12 RBI from the bottom four spots in the batting order to blast the Colonels (12-31, 6-11 OVC) in six innings. A walk-off grand slam from sophomore Tess Echols punctuated her 2-for-4, five RBI day and finished off a weekend that saw the Gamecocks outscore EKU 33-8 and set a school record for runs in a series.

JSU's tandem of Crows, junior Amanda and sophomore Kaycee, combined to go 4-for-5 with five RBI in the game. They each homered for the second time in the series and finished the weekend by going a combined 9-for-15 with four home runs and 13 RBI. Amanda, a native of Sharpsburg, Ga., went 5-for-7 with six RBI, while Kaycee, a Ringold, Ga., native, was 4-for-8 with seven RBI over the three games.

Senior Mary Beth Ledbetter went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI for JSU in the No. 8 hole on Sunday, while senior Hillary Downs went 2-for-4 from the No. 5 spot in the order. Downs, a native of Childersburg, Ala., was 6-for-8 on the series to lead a JSU offense that hit .418 with nine home runs. The Gamecocks ran their win streak against the Colonels to eight games and 10 in a row at home. JSU won all three games via the mercy rule, the first time it has done that since taking three quick ones from Southeast Missouri on April 4-5, 2009.

The Colonels took their first lead of the series in the top of the first, when a pair of JSU errors led to an early unearned run. The Gamecocks answered in the home half, thanks to a double from Prier that bounced off the wall in left center and scored Chrissy O'Neal and Kelci Johnston.

They used a little small ball to add to the lead in the second. Ledbetter reached on a fielder's choice and stole second to set up an RBI single from Echols. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Colonels plated three runs on four hits, the biggest being a two-run single from Melissa Costa.

The Crows did their damage in the home half of the third, when Amanda belted a two-run homer to center that put the Gamecocks up by one and Kaycee followed with a solo shot to center that gave JSU a 6-4 advantage.

The Colonels answered again in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs on a pair of hits that tied the score at 6-6, but the Crows wouldn't let it stand long. Amanda drew a bases-loaded walk that put the Gamecocks back up by one, then Kaycee stretched the lead to 8-6 with a sac fly to straightaway center. Ledbetter capped the three-run fourth with an RBI single that plated Downs from second.

O'Neal led off the fifth with a solo home run that bounced off of the tin rook of the Gamecocks' batting cage beyond the right field wall. The blast was the 38th career home run for the Dallas, Ga., native, who is second on the school's career homers list, and gave JSU a 10-6 lead.

Echols put the game away in the home half of the sixth with her grand slam. The Fayetteville, Ga., native entered the game with just six RBI on the season.

Junior Ashley Eliasson (16-7) won her 11th consecutive decision and did so in relief of starter Hilary Phillips. Eliasson, a native of Vallejo, Calif., allowed a pair of runs on four hits and two walks in four innings of work. She has not lost a game since March 20. Phillips pitched the first two innings and gave up four runs, three earned, on four hits.

Noelani Esperas (0-5) suffered the loss for the Colonels after surrendering six runs, five earned, on three hits and four walks.

JSU will return to the diamond on Saturday, when the Gamecocks open a three-game series at Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The series will start with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday before wrapping up the set with a single game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.