GAME 2 | Fayetteville State 8, Winston-Salem 7
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Sydney Jackson delivered a career night at the plate, blasting two home runs and driving in five runs to carry Fayetteville State to an 8–7, extra-inning victory over Winston-Salem State in game two of Friday's doubleheader and complete a sweep of the Rams.
The Broncos improved to 13–13 overall and 5–3 in CIAA play, needing nine innings to finish the job after another tightly contested battle. Tamarah Lowery was the difference in the circle, starting and going the distance to earn the win and seal Fayetteville State's second victory of the day.
Fayetteville State wasted no time jumping in front. In the top of the first, Vangilees Chambers doubled and Jackson followed with a two-run home run, giving the Broncos an early 2–0 advantage. From there, Lowery settled in and kept the Rams off the board through the first seven innings, despite consistent traffic on the bases.
Both offenses went quiet through the middle frames as pitchers on both sides controlled tempo. Winston-Salem State threatened multiple times, including runners left in scoring position in the second and sixth innings, but Lowery worked out of trouble each time to preserve the lead.
The Rams finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs to tie the game at 2–2 and force extra innings. Fayetteville State responded in the eighth, capitalizing on its opportunity in the international tiebreaker. Treja Patterson delivered an RBI single to put the Broncos back in front, and Xztashya Porter followed with an RBI double to extend the margin to 4–2.
Winston-Salem State answered again in the bottom of the eighth, scoring twice to even the score at 4–4 and keep the contest alive. Fayetteville State, however, had one more surge left.
In the ninth, the Broncos erupted for four runs. Cheyenne Payne singled to start the inning, and Kendall Jackson added an RBI single before Sydney Jackson stepped to the plate and delivered the decisive blow — a three-run home run that pushed Fayetteville State ahead 8–4.
The Rams made one last push in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs to close the gap to one, but Lowery recorded the final out to secure the victory.
Jackson finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs to pace the Broncos' offense. Four Fayetteville State players recorded multiple hits as the team out-hit Winston-Salem State 13–11 and went 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Lowery earned the win to move to 6–3 on the season after throwing all nine innings. She allowed seven runs, five earned, on 11 hits, walked three and struck out four while facing 41 hitters.
Winston-Salem State was led offensively by Riley Demers, who went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Jyla Thomas threw all nine innings for the Rams, allowing eight runs in the tough-luck loss.
With the extra-inning victory, Fayetteville State completed a dramatic doubleheader sweep, showcasing resilience, timely power and pitching depth in a key CIAA matchup.
