Softball splits doubleheader,loses series

The Florida A&M University Lady Rattlers went to Greensboro North Carolina this weekend for a three game series against North Carolina A&T. The Lady Aggies won game one 5-4 and the Lady Rattlers came away with a 12-5 win in game two, and loss game three 1-0.In game one, Lady Rattler Jasmin Donaldson went two-for-four from the plate scoring one run, while the Aggies had four players to finish with two hits each.Donaldson gave the Rattlers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as she scored on a Melissa Oliphant sacrifice fly to right field.White added to A&T’s lead in the bottom of the second inning as she tripled to right center scoring a run and giving the Lady Aggies a 3-1 lead.The Lady Rattlers tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning as Corrine Gordon tripled to centerfield scoring Courtney Harold. Then Arianna Stewart scored as Erika Garcia turned on her wheels and completed the triple to right field.The Lady Rattlers fought back in the top of the eighth inning as Joyce Harold grounded out to the first base, which assisted Ashanti Shepherd in scoring.The Lady Aggies Jessie Larson then crushed a two run homer in the bottom of the eigth inning giving the Lady Aggies a 5-4 win.In game two Melissa Oliphant led the Lady Rattlers as she batted a thousand for the day as they went four-for-four from the plate scoring three runs with six RBIs. The Lady Rattlers even out hit they Lady Aggies 14-10. While the Lady Aggies had three players to finish with two hits each.FAMU struck in the beginning of the first inning as they grabbed a 1-0 lead. The Lady Aggies scored three runs in the bottom of the second as the Lady Aggies hit a two-run homer, cutting FAMU’s lead to 5-4. Outfielder Jasmin Donaldson singled to right field, which scored both Shayla Clark and Corinne Gordon to give FAMU a 7-4 lead in the top of the third inning.Oliphant showed off some of her power as she hit a homerun to centerfield which made the score 8-5 in the top of the fourth inning. The Lady Rattlers scored four more runs as they score two in the top of the fifth inning and two in the top of the seventh inning as they came away with the 12-5 win. The Lady Rattlers finished game three with a fight to the finish but it resulted in a 1-0 loss. Centerfielder Tenisha Dixon said, “The games were close. We battled hard and we ended with our heads held high.” The Lady Rattlers will continue their road trip April 21 against the Troy University Trojans in Troy, Ala.