MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello softball team totaled 24 hits and five homeruns on Saturday in a pair of 9-1 wins over Henderson State at Blossoms Field.

In the first game, UAM (31-10, 11-9 Gulf South Conference) reached the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the third with three runs, highlighted by a two-run double from sophomore Faith Lund.

Freshman Brittany Eitel smashed the first homerun of her career with a solo shot to lead off the fourth. Junior Jennifer Hickman scored later in the inning off a fielding error by the HSU left fielder.

Three of UAM’s final four runs of the game came off of the long ball. Junior Randa Perry and freshman Beth Johnson hit back-to-back solo shots in the fifth, and junior Kayla Jackson hit her team-high ninth round-tripper of the year with a solo blast in the sixth.

Perry concluded her three-hit performance with a game-ending RBI single in the sixth to score senior Sarah Hayslip, who reached on a walk earlier in the inning.

Kali Warren’s solo homerun to center in the third inning was the only score for the Lady Reddies (17-29, 10-14 GSC) in the first game.

Jackson (17-5) earned the complete-game win, allowing only four hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Melissa Decker (10-12) took the loss for HSU after allowing six runs off 11 hits with three strikeouts and two walks in the first four innings.

In the second game, UAM started the scoring in the second with a solo homerun to left center by Johnson, her second round-tripper of the day.

The Cotton Blossoms added two more runs in the third on one swing, a two-run single from Hayslip to give UAM a 3-0 lead.

UAM took a 7-0 lead in the fourth with four consecutive run-producing at bats, including a triple from Hickman and a double from Jackson.

For the second straight game, HSU’s scoring was limited to one solo homerun, this time by Ashley Ray in the top of the fifth.

UAM captured its second run-rule win of the day and 16th of the year on a two-run single by Jackson in the bottom of the fifth to finalize the scoring.

Junior Amanda Nordberg (6-3) earned the win in complete-game style, allowing five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in five innings of work. Amber Wilburn (1-3) took the loss for HSU after allowing seven runs off eight hits in the first 3.2 innings.

The two squads are set to conclude the four-game series on Sunday (4/17) with a double-header starting at 1 p.m.