Florida A&M

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Hughes
3
Alabama St. ALABAMA 14-27
7
Winner Florida A&M FLORIDA 23-14
Alabama St. ALABAMA
14-27
3
Final
7
Florida A&M FLORIDA
23-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Alabama St. ALABAMA 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 3 7 2
Florida A&M FLORIDA 0 4 0 0 2 1 X 7 4 1

W: Hughes, Zoryana (10-3) L: Kaitlyn Hill (1-8)

Game Recap: Softball |

Hughes Goes the Distance, Rattlers Down Alabama State 7-3 Under the Lights

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Zoryana Hughes was locked in from the first pitch to the last, and Neriah Lee delivered when it mattered most. Hughes pitched a complete game and Lee's two-RBI single broke a two-all tie in the second inning as Florida A&M pulled away from Alabama State 7-3.

Hughes was masterful, working all seven innings while allowing three runs — just two of them earned — on seven hits. She struck out five, walked two, and induced 11 groundouts to finish the night with her 10th win of the year. The junior from Lake City, Fla., navigated traffic throughout, repeatedly limiting Alabama State's damage when the Golden Hornets put runners on base. Hughes now stands at 10-3 on the season.

Florida A&M's big inning came in the second. After Alabama State starter Kaitlyn Hill walked Keeleigh Spooner to open the frame, Jordan Douglas drew another free pass and Samantha Smith followed with a walk to load the bases. With two outs, Lee stepped in and delivered — singling to center field to score pinch runner Sakiya Merriex and Douglas for a 4-0 lead. A Braxtyn Battle error on a ball hit to left allowed two more unearned runs to score, and FAMU sent seven batters to the plate and built a four-run cushion before Hill could record her final out. She didn't escape the second inning.

Alabama State clawed back in the third when Jaibriel Terrell tripled to left field with two outs and scored JaNiyah Boykin to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the Golden Hornets could not sustain momentum against Hughes, who slammed the door inning after inning and kept Alabama State off-balance with her groundball-heavy approach.

FAMU extended its lead in the fifth. Jamison Townsend doubled and Amari Brown singled to plate her, then Spooner lifted a sacrifice fly to score Brown and push the margin to 6-1. The Rattlers added a seventh run in the sixth when Michaela Fernandez scored on a third-base error after stealing third, completing a three-inning run of production that put the game firmly out of reach.

Alabama State scored twice more in the seventh on an Alana Scott RBI single, aided by a passed ball that allowed Meshayla Pettaway to reach third, but Hughes shut the door with a groundout to end the game. Scott finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs on the night for the Golden Hornets, and Terrell went 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.

Brown went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, continuing her steady two-way production. Lee finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run, and Townsend doubled in her lone at-bat. Spooner contributed an RBI sacrifice fly and drew a walk as FAMU worked five bases on balls against an Alabama State staff that had difficulty throwing strikes all evening.
 

Key Stats — Florida A&M 7, Alabama State 3

Batting
Neriah Lee — 1-3, 2 RBI, R, BB (2-out single in 2nd broke game open)
Amari Brown — 1-3, RBI, R (also started at SS)
Keeleigh Spooner — 0-1, SF, RBI, BB
Jamison Townsend — 1-2, 2B, R
Pitching
Zoryana Hughes (W, 10-3) — 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (complete game)
 
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