No. 5 Lions Open 2026 Season With Pair of Run-Rule Wins at JUCO Showdown
The No. 5 team in NJCAA Division I softball wasted no time proving its preseason ranking, as Wallace State Community College opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion at the Visit Panama City Beach JUCO Showdown. The Lions rolled to a pair of run-rule victories Friday, defeating Patrick & Henry 11-0 and Andrews College 14-1 to begin the year 2-0.
Wallace State 11, Patrick & Henry 0
The Lions broke a scoreless tie in the third inning when Sydney Gurley launched a solo home run to center field to put Wallace State on the board. Later in the inning, Alyssa Hunt singled home Kaelyn Jones and Tenayja Thomas to extend the lead to 3-0.
Wallace State erupted for eight runs in the fourth to end the contest early. Jones ignited the inning with a two-run single that scored Ashlyn Burns and Kenley Vaughn. Emma Coan followed with a double to center to plate Gurley. Brooklyn Sertell then delivered a two-run homer to stretch the lead to 9-0. Reese Decker tripled to left to score Blakelyn Austin, and Vaughn capped the scoring with an RBI single to make it 11-0.
Hitting Leaders
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Kaelyn Jones: 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI
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Alyssa Hunt: 2 hits, 2 RBI (double)
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Brooklyn Sertell: 1 hit, 1 run, 3 RBI (two-run homer)
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Kenley Vaughn: 1 hit, 1 run, 1 RBI
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Sydney Gurley: 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 RBI (home run)
Pitching
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Ava Smith (W): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB
Wallace State 14, Andrews College 1
The Lions' offense stayed red hot in game two, piling up 17 hits in a 14-1 win over Andrews College.
Wallace State struck early when Jones stole second and third before scoring on an Andrews error in the first inning. Leah Graves made it 2-0 in the second with an RBI single scoring Blakelyn Austin.
The Lions broke the game open in the third with six runs. Hunt doubled home Jones and Tenayja Thomas, while Allie Tatum added a two-run double to score Hunt and Sertell. Ashlyn Massey singled in Tatum, and Gurley followed with an RBI double to make it 8-0.
In the fourth, Wallace State added five more runs. Tatum singled home Emma Coan and Vaughn, Massey drove in Graves on a groundout, and Gurley capped the inning with a two-run homer. Andrews pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth before Coan delivered an RBI double in the fifth for the final margin.
The Lions finished with nine extra-base hits, including one home run and eight doubles, and stole five bases.
Hitting Leaders
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Kaelyn Jones: 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 stolen bases
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Allie Tatum: 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 RBI
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Sydney Gurley: 2 hits, 1 run, 3 RBI (home run, double)
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Emma Coan: 2 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI (two doubles)
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Leah Graves: 2 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI
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Alyssa Hunt: 1 hit, 1 run, 2 RBI
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Tenayja Thomas: 1 hit, 1 run, 1 RBI
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Kenley Vaughn: 1 hit, 2 runs
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Ashlyn Massey: 1 hit, 1 run, 2 RBI
Pitching
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Madeline Howard: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
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Camdyn Bassett: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
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Taylor Stalling: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB
Three Lions pitchers combined for nine strikeouts in five innings, allowing just one run on three hits.