Tigers Earn 9-1 Victory over Jackson State

Wednesday, April 9

Memphis, Tenn.

5 PM

University of Memphis

16-24

Jackson State

19-18

Jackson State

Memphis

Apr 09, 2025 | Softball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis (16-24, 4-11 AAC) softball snapped its losing streak with a 9-1 mercy rule victory over Jackson State (19-18, 9-5 SWAC) Wednesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jackson State took a one-run lead in the first inning when Hermariya Stephens scored on a wild pitch.
Memphis took advantage of an early mistake by Jackson State to tally three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
- After Arianna Cox-Cole and Zoe Adebayo reached on a hit and hit-by-pitch, respectively, Ariel Davis hit into a fielder's choice with an error, allowing Cox-Cole to score.
- With the bases loaded following a Neely Taylor single, Kennedy Semien singled to bring Adebayo home.
- A third run came across on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Faith Brown.
Lyrical Bennett set Jackson State down in the top of the second inning on just six pitches.
Memphis tallied a run in the bottom half of the inning after Aubrey Williams stole third and scored on the ensuing throwing error by the Jackson State catcher.
In the bottom of the third, Drue Thomas doubled down the right field line to bring Kennedy Semien around to score.
- Semien had reached on an infield single earlier in the frame.
Memphis brought three more runs home during the fourth inning.
- Zoe Adebayo stepped up and slugged her seventh home run of the season, bringing two runs across.
- The Tigers' third run of the inning came on Kennedy Semien's second RBI single of the contest.
After Jackson State went scoreless in the top of the fifth, a double by Drue Thomas was followed by an RBI single off the bat of Arianna Cox-Cole, enacting the mercy rule.
- It was Thomas's second double of the game.

NOTABLES

Lyrical Bennett moves to 5-6 with the win in her third-straight complete game.
- Bennett's 80 pitches thrown were the second-least by a Tiger in a complete game victory this season, only being bested by Rylee Dugar's 53-pitch performance in a no-hitter against Mississippi Valley State.
Seven of the nine starters in the Memphis lineup recorded a hit.
- Three (Arianna Cox-Cole, Kennedy Semien, Drue Thomas) had multi-hit performances.
Aubrey Williams finished with one hit in her first collegiate start behind the plate.
- She has started at least one game at first base, shortstop, third base and catcher.
Zoe Adebayo finished 1-for-2 at the plate with a two-run home run, her seventh of the season.
- Her seven home runs and 29 RBI are the most for a Tiger since the 2019 season.
Kennedy Semien snapped a six-game hitless streak with a three-hit, two-RBI performance.
Neely Taylor made her team-leading 40th start of the season, recording one hit.
Arianna Cox-Cole finished her night with two hits, two stolen bases, two runs scored and one RBI.
- Cox-Cole has surpassed her stolen base total from the 2024 season (15) and has the most stolen bases by a Tiger since the 2021 season when Delaney Smith stole 17 bases.

UP NEXT
The Tigers continue their short homestand with a conference series against Charlotte. Start times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be 6 p.m., 3 p.m. and noon, respectively. All three contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
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