NEWARK, Del.—Being down four runs to a team that defeated it by five less than 24 hours earlier didn't seem to bother the Jax State softball team.
The top-seeded Gamecocks used patience at the plate and some power production from the heart of the order late to come away with a 7-4 win over Liberty to claim their first Conference USA Softball Tournament title and secure a spot in next weekend's NCAA Regionals.
"My heart is just overflowing with joy for them," said coach
Julie Boland of her team's first championship since 2019. "I'm proud of the way they bought into the program, the way they bought into each other as a team, the way that they wanted to move as a team all season long, and then to show up today and win this game, I just couldn't be more proud."
Liberty (29-28) hit back-to-back homers in the third to take a 3-0 lead with one out. The Flames added a run in the top of the fourth with two outs on a first and third play, but recorded the final out of the inning in a rundown.
Jax State sent all nine to the plate in the fourth, getting bases-loaded walks to
Megan Rasmussen,
Emma Elrod, and
Morgan Nowakowski to cut the deficit to one, then
Amber Reed's sacrifice fly knotted the game at four.
Liberty got runners to second and third with one out, but a diving catch in center field by Nowakowski, and a fly out to left kept the Flames off the board. The Flames also got two on with nobody out in the sixth, but great plays in the outfield by Cushingberry and Elrod sandwiched a strikeout by relief pitcher
MacKinley Portillo, who earned her ninth win of the season.
Nowakowski was the CUSA Tournament MVP, going 2-for-3 with a walk in the championship game.
Portillo allowed just one earned on two hits over 4.2 innings out of the pen and earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
"She had a different look in her eyes and she commanded the strike zone like crazy," said Boland of Portillo.
Reed blasted a ball to the center field wall with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, scoring Elrod from first to give Jax State a 5-4 lead.
Kailey Martin then hit her ninth homer of the season to make it a three-run lead.
Reed also earned a spot on the all-tournament team with two RBIs in the final. She was joined by Cushingberry and Underwood.
The NCAA Softball Selection Show will take place on Sunday at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN2.
