BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Lady Rams had a tough first day of the annual league event on Tuesday. Albany State managed only a single hit in the opener and saw its second game not fair a lot better in defeats at the hands of Tuskegee and Lane College, 1-0 and 7-3, at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Crossover first day.

ASU (16-8) saw its lineup retired in order in six of the seven trips to the plate with only a Keyatta Ayers one-out bunt single putting a friendly runner on base. Ayers did steal second, but she saw her next two teammates were retired. Tuskegee had a pair of second-inning base runners run home on passed balls as part of a 3-run frame and added an insurance run in the fourth.

The Lady Rams' first and third inning miscues led to the Dragons scoring four of six runs unearned for a 6-0 advantage. Romona McLeod lined an RBI single in the home third before Madison Hurt touched home after a Lane error to pull within 6-2. Ayers drove in Ty'Janae Brown, who led off the fifth with a bunt single, to cut the difference in half to 6-3. Lane added one more score in the top of the seven, before it was able to get out of ASU having the bases loaded in the bottom of the final inning without any runs allowed to end the contest.

Ayers was the lone ASU hitter with hits in each affair. She finished 3 for 6 with an RBI and a stolen base. Olivia Mason laced a pair of second-game doubles and Brown two bunt singles and two runs scored. Hurt added two hits and a run and McLeod was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and one run drove in. De'Laynie Hollis chipped in the final single.

McLeod did have a strong Game 2 relief out as she covered the final 4.2 innings with only two hits and struck out one.

ASU aims to start fresh on Wednesday (March 13) with games against LeMoyne-Owen (1:15 p.m. EST) and Kentucky State (3:30 p.m.) on the docket on Day 2 of the Crossover.