PLEASANT GROVES, AL – Senior Jackie Zubiate hit a pair of home runs as the Kentucky State University softball team qualified for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament with a doubleheader sweep of Miles College Saturday.

The SIAC tournament bracket will be announced by the conference office Monday with the tournament starting Thursday in Albany, GA.

GAME ONE: KENTUCKY STATE 7, MILES 4
Needing just one victory to secure its spot in the SIAC tournament, Kentucky State used a three-run homer by Zubiate in the fourth inning to give the Thorobreds some breathing room in securing the victory.

Each team scored in the first inning, and KSU took the lead for good on an RBI single by sophomore Moana Pinner (Hilo, HI) in the third inning.
Back-to-back one-out walks set the stage for Zubiate's big blast in the fourth. The long ball pulled her into the SIAC lead with nine homers on the season. An unearned run pulled the Golden Bears to within 5-2 in the fifth.

Freshman Olivia Saylor (Lancaster, KY) added two insurances runs with a bases loaded single in the sixth inning. Kentucky State had a chance to tack on more runs as it loaded the bases again with no outs, but couldn't push across another run.

Miles scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning, and had the tying run at the plate with two outs. However, senior Paola Flores (San Lorenzo, PR) induced a game-ending pop up. Flores (12-12) yielded three earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in her complete game effort.

Zubiate reached base four times, 1-for-3 with three walks, driving in three runs and scored three more. Senior Jittaun Thompson (Pomona, CA) was the lone player with multiple hits as the 'Breds scattered eight hits.

With her triple to start the game, senior Natalia Bocanegra (Covina, CA) rose to the top of KSU's single-season triples list with her seventh of the season.

GAME TWO: KENTUCKY STATE 12, MILES 1 (5 INN.)
Kentucky State didn't waste any time jumping on the Golden Bears as the Thorobreds led 2-0 just two batters into the game as Bocanegra walked and Zubiate took the SIAC lead with her 10th bomb of the season.

Following a two-out, two-run double by junior Sasha Allen (West Covina, CA), KSU led 4-0 before Miles even came to bat. Another two-bagger by Allen was the lone hit in a four-run third inning as the Thorobreds took advantage of three Miles errors.

Miles scored an unearned run in the fourth, but Kentucky State put a pair of runs on the board in the fourth and five innings to secure the run-rule victory.

Zubiate went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored, while Allen was 2-for-4 with two doubles, four RBI and a run scored. Pinner was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, and sophomore Kailen Olison (Moreno Valley, CA) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Freshman Katelyn Hurley (Elizabeth, IN) didn't allow an earned run for the third time this season, allowing two hits over five innings.