KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fifth-ranked Tennessee scored two first-inning runs which proved to be the difference Sunday afternoon as the University of South Alabama softball team dropped a 2-0 decision in the final game of the Tennessee Invitational held at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (10-11) will close out its 10-game road swing at Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night.  First pitch versus the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. at the USM Softball Complex.

South Alabama at No. 5/5 Tennessee
Date: 3/4
Place: Sherri Parker Lee Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Final Score: Tennessee 2, South Alabama 0
Records: Tennessee (21-1), South Alabama 10-11

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-1 Inn. — UT, 2-0 — Chelsea Seggern triple down the right field line (2 RBI), scoring Jenna Holcomb from third and Meghan Gregg from second

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-With Brittani Reid on first and no outs in the top of the sixth, Jag shortstop Kristian Foster looked as if she were going to drop in the second Jag hit of the inning, but Holcomb came racing in and made a diving catch in shallow left field to rob Foster of a hit and send B. Reid scurrying back to first.  Foster's hit would have at least put runners at the corners if not allowing B. Reid to score.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-B. Reid was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of singles and her third double of the season.
-MC Nichols recorded the lone other hit for the Jaguars and stole her first base of the season.  Lyric Cabral also reached base twice with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
-Devin Brown (7-6) took the tough-luck loss as she allowed just the two earned runs on six hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
-Tennessee starter Caylan Arnold (10-0) was solid in the circle striking out eight in her four innings of work and allowing just three hits.
-Matty Moss entered in relief in the fifth and earned her third save of the season with three innings of one-hit ball.  Moss also struck out four.
-Amanda Ayala had two hits in her three at-bats, while Aubrey Leach, Holcomb, Gregg and Seggern had the four other hits for Tennessee.  Seggern also drove in the lone two runs of the contest.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Arnold struck out five of the first six batters that she faces and seven of the first eight outs recorded by the sophomore were via the strikeout.
-The fourth inning was the first inning that Arnold didn't begin a frame with a strikeout looking
-After being retired in order each of the first two innings, South Alabama had at least one baserunner in each of final five innings, moving runners into scoring position in the fourth and sixth..
-All four of Brown's strikeouts were looking.
-South Alabama left seven runners stranded in the contest, while the Volunteers left six.

GAME FACTS
-Like Saturday's contest between the two clubs, the Vols jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first.  Holcomb reached on a fielder's choice and then moved to third on Gregg's single to center.  Gregg also moved into scoring position on the play on Nichols throw to third attempting to get Holcomb out.  Seggern then lined a ball down the line in right that was judged to be just fair and rolled into the corner in right, allowing Seggern to race around to third.
-Tennessee threatened to add to its lead with a pair of two-out walks its next, but Brown was able to get out of it as Holcomb lined out to Savanna Mayo at third to end the inning.
-Nichols reached on a one-out single in the third and moved into scoring position with her first stolen base of the season, but Arnold was able to get Dayla Gulledge (pinch hitting) to fly out to center to end the inning.
-South Alabama loaded the bases in the top of the fourth with two outs courtesy of a single (B. Reid), fielder's choice and a walk (Cabral), but Arnold was able to get Katelyn Gruich to hit a chopper back to the circle for the ground out to end the threat.
-The Volunteers had a runner reach third with two outs in the fifth, but Brown was able to get Seggern to fly out to center to end the inning.
-The Jags tried to get something started in the top of the seventh as Cabral was hit by first pitch of the inning to bring tying run to the plate.  Moss though struck out the next two South Alabama batters looking and Gregg beat Jag pinch runner Megan Harris to the bag at second for the third and final out to end the game.

NOTES
-The meeting marked the second all-time between the two clubs and the 51st by the Jaguars versus a Southeastern Conference opponent.
-The game also marked the 123rd consecutive start for Kristian Foster moving the senior into 10th place alone all-time at South Alabama.
-Seggern's first-inning triple was her third of the season and increased her team-leading RBI tally to 33.
-Gulledge had her streak of three-straight pinch hits snapped with her fly out in the third.
-The three-hit performance marked B. Reid's team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the season and tied a career high.  She now has recorded multiple hits in four of her last seven.
-Arnold had two strikeouts in relief in the first game of the weekend against South and finished with 10 in the two contests.
-In both of the shutout losses, South Alabama left seven runners on base.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
-On Devin Brown's pitching performance and the game: "I thought Devin [Brown] was solid today.  Tennessee has a very good offense and I thought she kept them off-balance for the second time this weekend.  She also had some good defensive plays behind her as well.  That's a tough loss for her, because Ii thought she pitched well enough to win; we just couldn't get the big hit.  That's the thing we continue to work for and we're still trying to figure that out.  Going into conference play next weekend, we have to figure that out and how to get the job done in that moment.  We're at a place where it's time to go and it has to happen.  I love the fact that Devin gave us a chance to win, and I hate that she lost that game because I thought she did a great job."

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

Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub

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