FORT VALLEY, Ga. – In a matchup of a battle for the East Division top spot, Saturday's games ended in a draw. After a frustrating first-contest shutout (5-0), Albany State bounced back with its own blanking of Fort Valley State, 3-0, and earned the softball split.

ASU did not allow an earned run over the 14 innings of action. The Lady Rams, though, committed four key errors in the first contest, which led to each of the Wildcats' five runs – one in the first and fourth in the fourth. ASU quickly put runners on second and third as Madison Hurt walked and Romona McLeod reached on an error, but both were stranded with the final two out recorded. The visitors put a runner on in each of the third, fourth and fifth frames and Trista Murphy laced a one-out double to center in the sixth only for all four to be left stranded.

After three scoreless frames in Game 2, Hurt led off with a bunt single, stole both second and third and scored on McLeod's ground out for a 1-0 lead. Kaliyah Smith would not need any more offense in the circle. The ASU pitcher gave up five hits and walked one and left all six home runners on base for the shutout. Ty'Janae Brown lined a RBI single in the fifth and Keyatta Ayers added her own in top of the seventh for the other two ASU tallies.

The Lady Rams offense only recorded a combined seven hits in the 14 innings. Hurt singled in each contest with a run and three stolen bases. Murphy drilled the lone extra base hit of a double. Ayers, McLeod, T'Janae Brown and Olivia Mason contributed the other singles.

Smith improved to 11-3 on the season with her five-hit shutout where she fanned four and walked one.

ASU completes the 3-game series on Monday (April 21) in a 2 p.m. first pitch at FVSU.