STATESBORO, Ga. – University of South Alabama softball swept a Saturday doubleheader against Georgia Southern to clinch its fifth-straight Sun Belt Conference series and improve its league winning streak to a school-record 14 games.
 
USA (26-11, 14-2 SBC) surmounted its previous SBC win streak of 13 games, set in the 2015 season. The Jaguars, second in the league behind Louisiana-Lafayette, recorded two run-rule victories against the third-place Eagles (24-19, 9-5 SBC) on Saturday, winning 11-1 and 14-0 in games one and two, respectively.
 
South Alabama will go for a fifth-straight league series sweep on Sunday in the finale slated to start at noon CT. Links to live stats and play-by-play audio can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided for each USA contest via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
The Jaguars outscored Georgia Southern, 25-1, on Saturday, outhitting them, 22-7. USA set a new season high in walks drawn in game one with eight and mirrored that mark in the nightcap. South Alabama scored a season-high 14 runs on a season-high 14 hits in game two, totaling a season-high 20 bases in five innings.
 
The 14-point mark margin of victory was the largest for any Jaguar team since a 14-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe in five innings on April 20, 2013.

"The offense was solid, and we had some great at-bats today," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "Our goal coming into the day was to play a complete two games - to play every pitch. I felt like we stayed aggressive the entire time. We ran the bases well, and I thought Devin [Brown] and Destin [Vicknair] did a great job pounding the [strike] zone. We made the plays we needed to make on defense. All around it was a great team day. Our goal tomorrow will be to be better than we were today."
 
Game One – South Alabama 11, Georgia Southern 1
USA scored in each of the first four innings in game one and blew the contest open with a six-run fourth frame. Devin Brown picked up the win in the circle, improving to 15-7 after striking out five to three walks while allowing one run (earned) on five hits in five innings.
 
Haleigh Lowe's base hit through the right side plated Emily Messer for USA's first run and the first RBI for Lowe, who set a new career-high with four in the contest on 2-for-2 hitting. Stephanie Pilkington lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Kaleigh Todd later in the inning, doubling USA's lead to 2-0.
 
The Jaguars scratched two more across to go ahead, 4-0, an inning later on Lowe's two-run base hit, which scored Messer and pinch-runner Taylor Stevens. Stevens substituted in for Alex Breeden, who led off the inning with a walk. The run was the first of Stevens's career.
 
After a pair of Brown strikeouts, Georgia Southern's Michelle Mazur homered to left field to cut the Jaguar lead to 4-1.
 
Haleigh Lane answered with a leadoff triple in the top of the third, and scored on Dayla Gulledge's sacrifice fly, as the visitors took a 5-1 lead.
 
The Eagles threatened in the bottom of the third when Hannah Farrell reached on a fielder's choice and the made it to third on a Jaguar throwing error, but Brown fanned AJ Hamilton to keep the hosts at bay.
 
USA put the game out of reach with an offensive explosion in the top of the fourth, beginning with back-to-back leadoff walks from Todd and Lowe. The pair moved into scoring position on Heather Felt's wild pitch, before Todd scored on an Eagle fielding error that allowed Amanda MInahan to reach.
 
Pilkington supplied an RBI single up the middle to plate Lowe to make it 7-1 Jaguars, and Kristian Foster was hit by a pitch to load the bags. After Lane's line out, Breeden singled to score Minahan, and Gulledge plated Pilkington with a base hit to push the visitor lead to 9-1.
 
Todd took one off the ribs to send runners around, Foster scoring, and Lowe drew a walk for her fourth RBI, as Breeden came around on the play to make it 11-1.
 
Georgia Southern led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles in a bid for a rally, but Brown reeled in a bunt attempt and assisted in a force out at home to shut the door. She retired the Eagle lineup in order in the bottom of the fifth to see the game out.
 
Eagle starter Dixie Raley suffered the loss after allowing four runs (all earned) on three hits with two strikeouts and five walks. Felt gave up five runs (all earned) on two hits with two walks in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
 
Kaylee Ramos allowed two runs (one earned) on as many hits with a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning, and Amanda Chambers threw 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief with a walk.
 
Game Two – South Alabama 14, Georgia Southern 0
USA kept the pressure on in game two by scoring six runs in the top of the first. Again, the Jags scored in all but one inning and got a lights-out performance in the circle, this time from Destin Vicknair, who recorded her sixth-consecutive victory to improve to 11-3 after striking out four with no walks and holding Georgia Southern to only two hits in five frames.
 
After walks from Messer and Lowe, Minahan delivered a two-run double to put the Jags up, 2-0. A wild Kierra Camp pitch allowed Pilkington, who reached on an error, to score and push the Jags ahead by three runs.
 
Lane then grounded out to second to give Minahan time to round home plate. Foster was then hit by another pitcher, Breeden reached on a fielding error, and Gulledge drew a walk to load the bags. Messer and Todd each supplied back-to-back RBI singles to score Foster and Breeden and put the Jags up, 6-0.
 
Singles from Pilkington and Lane and a Foster walk loaded the bags for Breeden, who drew a walk to score the former. Gulledge then took one off the leg to score Lane to make it 8-0 visitors.
 
Vicknair retired the Eagles in order for a second time in the bottom of the second, before USA extended its lead to 11-0 with a three scores, all with two outs on the board, in the top of the third. Minahan started the rally by lifted her team-leading fourth home run over the wall in left field.
 
Lane then singled and moved to second on a wild pitch, scoring on Foster's subsequent base hit. Freshman Savanna Mayo, in her first at-bat in two weeks, plated Foster with the first of her two doubles – a Jaguar single-game-tying feat.
 
Megan Harris drew a leadoff walk after coming on to pinch hit in the top of the fifth inning and scored on Todd's RBI infield single, as USA went up, 12-0. A wild pitch allowed Mayo to score, and Lowe singled to plate Messer for the final winning margin.
 
Camp suffered the loss for the Eagles after giving up eight runs (four earned) on five hits with a strikeout and four walks in 1 1/3 innings. Chambers gave up three runs (all earned) on as many hits with a walk in 1 1/3 relief frames. Felt allowed three runs (all earned) on six hits with a strikeout and three walks in 1 2/3 innings, and Raley struck out one batter in 2/3 of an inning.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).