Wallace State softball closes regular season with road sweep at Coastal Alabama-South

BAY MINETTE, Ala — Wallace State closed the regular season Sunday with a road doubleheader sweep of Coastal Alabama-South, winning 12-0 in Game 1 and 12-4 in Game 2.

The Lady Lions finished the regular season 43-10 overall and 26-6 in conference play. Wallace State enters the ACCC Championship as the No. 2 seed and will open tournament play at 2 p.m. Thursday against the winner of No. 3 Shelton State and No. 6 Coastal Alabama-South at Veterans Park in Alabaster.

Game 1: Wallace State 12, Coastal Alabama-South 0

Madeline Howard tossed her second no-hitter in the last two series as Wallace State opened the doubleheader with a 12-0 win over Coastal Alabama-South.

Howard worked five scoreless innings in the circle, striking out two and walking one. Coastal Alabama-South was held without a hit and committed two errors.

Wallace State jumped out early with four runs in the first inning. Brooklynn Sertell drew a bases-loaded walk to score the first run, Charli Kyser followed with a two-run single and Blakelyn Austin added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

The Lady Lions broke the game open with eight runs in the third inning. Ashlyn Burns was hit by a pitch to bring in a run, Kaelyn Jones drew a walk to score another, Tenajya Thomas also drew a bases-loaded walk and Reese Decker singled in two runs. Kyser added a sacrifice fly, an error brought in another run and Leah Graves singled to drive in the final run of the inning.

Kyser led Wallace State with three RBIs. Vaughn and Graves each had two hits, while Decker drove in two runs. Jones, Thomas, Decker, Sertell, Austin, Graves and Burns all scored for the Lady Lions.

Wallace State finished with 10 hits and seven walks in the win.

Game 2: Wallace State 12, Coastal Alabama-South 4

Wallace State completed the sweep with a 12-4 win in Game 2, using another big offensive effort to pull away.

The Lady Lions scored once in the second inning before putting up five runs in the third. Kyser hit a sacrifice fly, Vaughn reached on a fielder's choice that scored a run, Austin singled in two runs and Allie Tatum added an RBI single.

Coastal Alabama-South scored two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth, but Wallace State answered with five runs in the sixth to extend the lead. Graves singled in a run, Jones followed with an RBI single, an error scored two more runs and Kyser added another sacrifice fly.

Austin led Wallace State at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Tatum drove in three runs, while Kyser had two RBIs. Vaughn scored three runs and added a double, while Jones, Decker and Graves each had a hit and an RBI.

Ava Smith started in the circle for Wallace State and allowed two earned runs on seven hits over four innings. Camdyn Bassett worked the final two innings in relief, allowing three hits and no earned runs.

Wallace State finished Game 2 with eight hits and 11 walks.