No. 7 Indians impressive in season opener against Jackson State

FULTON, Miss. – Summer Cryder went 4-for-6 and Briana Posey had a two-run home run to help the No. 7 Indians sweep Jackson State (Tenn.) to open the season on Friday.

Cryder (Mooreville) went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in the Indians' 11-0 game one run-rule victory. Posey (Florence, Ala.) blistered a two-run home run to complete the sweep of the Green Jays with a 9-1 win run-rule win in the final game of the day.

Game 1: No. 7 Indians 11, Jackson State 0 (5 innings) [Highlights]

The Indians set the tone early by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Mattie Meine (Olive Branch) scored the first run of the season after drawing a walk and stealing second before Cryder drove her in on a single up the middle. Hope Harbin (Columbus) walked and scored when Posey reached on a fielder's choice. Cryder gave the Indians a 3-0 lead when Chloe Morgan (Batesville) drew a bases-loaded walk. Posey scored on a single by Ivy Watts (Tupelo) and Morgan scored when Ellie Meine (Olive Branch) reached on an infield single. Jessica Davis (Cumberland) pushed across Watts on a ground out, Ellie scored when Mattie reached on a two-out error, Mattie scored on a triple by Harbin, and Harbin scored the final run of the inning on the second single of the inning by Cryder.

Morgan drove in Cryder with a triple in the bottom of the fourth and scored on a single by Watts to invoke the run-rule limit.

Jackson State put a runner on first with two outs in the top of the fifth before Kaylee Nelson (Moulton, Ala.) recorded her fifth strikeout on the day to end the game. Nelson (1-0) scattered three hits and walked one in five scoreless innings of work.

Game 2: No. 7 Indians 9, Jackson State 1 (5 innings) [Highlights]

Two-out rallies in the bottom of the first, fourth, and fifth innings helped complete the sweep of Jackson State.

Cryder and Watts both reached on back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first and scored on a single by Morgan to take a 2-0 lead.

Morgan singled to start the bottom of the fourth and came around to score when Posey sent a no doubter over the fence in left-center to push the lead out 4-0. Ellie reached on a one-out single before scoring on a two-out single by her twin sister Mattie. Harbin ripped her second triple of the day to plate Mattie to give ICC a 6-0 lead after four complete.

Jackson State (0-2) got a run back in the top of the fifth but the Indians answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Posey was hit by a pitch and replaced on the bases by Hannah Sparks (Mantachie), who scored on a double down the line by Maggie Smithey (Ingomar). Smithey scored on a double by Ellie, who scored when Ali Settlemiers (Biggersville) doubled off the top of the fence in centerfield to end the game.

Ellie, Mattie, and Morgan each had a pair of hits in the game.

Madison Burrus (Hernado) gave up one run on six hits and one walk with a strikeout to pick up the win in her collegiate debut.

ICC will travel to Tennessee on Friday to take on the Green Jays with the First American National Bank opening pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.