TROY, Ala. – South Alabama softball seniors Kaleigh Todd and Haleigh Lowe went a combined 6-for-7 at the plate, scored four times and drove in five as the Jaguars picked up a big Sun Belt Conference road win at Troy Wednesday evening, defeating the Trojans 7-0 at the Troy Softball Complex.
Todd was 3-for-3, scored twice and became the program's career hits leader, while Lowe also went 3-for-4 in the win, scored twice and drove in a career-best five runs.
Devin Brown picked up her 15th win of the season, her fifth shutout and tossed her 19th complete game of the season, while striking out eight and allowing just three hits.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (23-21, 8-10 SBC) will return home for a three-game league series against Appalachian State. The two clubs will open the series with a doubleheader on Sat., April 21 (1 p.m. and 3 p.m.) and then close out the series on Sun., April 22 with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. at Jaguar Field. The series will be Alumni Weekend for former softball program members and Sunday's game will be South Alabama's "Cover Your Bases Initiative" as a part of the Sun Belt Fights Cancer (SunBeltFightsCancer.org) partnership.
Date: 4/18
Place: Troy Softball Complex (Troy, Ala.)
Final Score: South Alabama 7, Troy 0
Records: South Alabama (23-21, 8-10 SBC), Troy (27-18, 11-8 SBC)
Box Score (PDF)
SCORING PLAYS
-1 Inn. — USA, 2-0 —Lowe inside-the-park home run to left (2 RBI), scoring Todd from first
-2 Inn. — USA, 3-0 —Kamdyn Kvistad solo home run to left center (RBI)
-3 Inn. — USA, 4-0 —Lowe triple to center (RBI), scoring Todd from third
-3 Inn. — USA, 5-0 —Kristian Foster sacrifice fly to center (RBI), scoring Lowe from third
-4 Inn. — USA, 7-0 —Lowe single to center (2 RBI), scoring Taylor Stevens (pinch runner) from third and MC Nichols from second
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-South Alabama set the tone with the first two batters of the game as Todd reached on an infield single to lead things off and then came around to score on Lowe's inside-the-park home run.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Todd was 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Lowe also had three hits in her four at-bats, scored twice and drove in five. Both Todd and Lowe recorded triples in the contest, while Lowe had a double and hit her third home run of the season and first inside-the-park home run.
-Nichols also had a multi-hit game as she was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Kvistad recorded her fifth home run of the season.
-In her seven innings of work, Brown (15-11) allowed three hits and struck out eight, while not issuing a walk.
-Katie Webb, Erica Davis and Hope Hernandez recorded the three hits for Troy.
-Troy's Brooke Echols was hit by pitch twice.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Four of South Alabama's first five hits were for extra bases – two triples and two home runs. South Alabama had five extra-base hits in the contest.
-South Alabama also had three two-out RBI.
-South Alabama scored at least one run in each of the first four innings – two runs in the first, third and fourth.
-Troy had three batters hit by pitch – Echols, twice.
-Jags retired in order for the first time in the seventh.
-Todd and Lowe went a combined 6-for-7 in the contest and reached base all 10 of their plate appearances.
-Troy starter Annie Willis (14-5) took the loss allowing six runs on six hits in three-plus innings of work.
GAME FACTS
-Todd led off the game with an infield single, making her the program's career hits leader – and the Jags took a 2-0 lead the next batter as Lowe's base hit dropped in front of Taylor Corbett in left and got past the Trojan fielder. Todd scored on the play and Lowe raced around the bases and made it home as well without a play at the plate.
-Kvistad then added to the Jaguar advantage as she drove a 2-2, two-out pitch from Willis deep over the wall in left center to make it 3-0.
-The top of the Jaguar order added to the lead in the third with two more runs to make it 5-0. Todd led off the inning with her first triple of the season and then scored easily as Lowe recorded her second extra-base hit of the contest with a triple of her own, this one to center. Foster then plated the Jags' fifth run of the game as she brought in Lowe on a sacrifice fly to center.
-South Alabama scored for the fourth straight inning to extend its lead to 7-0. With a runner on and two away, Nichols and Todd singled to load the bases. Lowe then lined a ball to center that was just out of reach of Hernandez's glove at second, bringing in Stevens, who was pinch running for Lyric Cabrel, and Nichols.
-Troy put a pair on in the bottom of the fourth and had its first runner move into scoring position as Porter and Echols reached after being hit by a pitch from Brown, but Lowe tracked down a liner in left center off the bat of Kaylee Hussey.
-South loaded the bases in the top of the sixth on an infield single by Nichols – her fourth multi-hit game of the season and the 15th of her career – and two Trojan errors, but Troy reliever Kynsley Blasingame was able to get a double play to end the inning.
-Troy had its second scoring chance in the seventh as Echols was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many at-bats. Two batters later, Davis dropped in a bloop double in left center to put runners at second and third with one out. Brown though closed out strong as she struck out Hernandez and got Corbett to ground out to third to end the game.
NOTES
-Todd tied Stephanie Pilkington (2013-16) for seventh on South's all-times game played list (201).
-The start at short was the 150th of Foster's career.
-With her leadoff single in the top of the first, Todd recorded the 214th hit of her career surpassing Brittany Fowler's previous mark of 213.
-Todd also extended her reached base safely streak to 20 games, tying her with Tara Donaldson for sixth on the program's all-time list, with her third-inning triple. The triple was the first of the season for Todd and the sixth of her career, which moved her into a tie for sixth with Evelyne Pare.
-Over her last 17 games, Todd is batting .531 (34-for-64), scored 19 runs and recorded 12 multi-hit games.
-Lowe's first-inning, inside-the-park home run was the first by a Jag since Todd did so last season at ULM (4/22) and just the fourth in program history. Britany Campbell (vs. Central Arkansas – 2/17/13) and Emily Messer (vs. Georgia Southern – 4/12/15) are only other inside-the-park home runs for South Alabama.
-The multi-home run game was the fifth of the season for the Jags. South has now homered in 10 of its last 14 contests recording 17 during that stretch. All five of the multi-home run games have also come over that time.
-Of South Alabama's 23 home runs this season, 17 have been solo shots.
-Four of Kvistad's five home runs have been solo shots and four of them have come against Sun Belt competition.
-The shutout was the 30th shutout of Brown's career and the 71st complete game.
-Reid saw her 17-game reached base safely streak come to an end on Wednesday night.
-South Alabama 8-2 this season in midweek games and the Jaguars have now won each of their last seven.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the road win: "I thought the story of tonight was the fact that we had great at-bats all the way through the game. We kept applying pressure the entire time. We also got a great outing from Devin [Brown] in the circle. It was a great team night for us."
- On Kamdyn Kvisad: "I pushed Kam [Kvistad] down a little bit in the lineup and let her get her feet under her, and I thought it paid off. She was more relaxed at the plate and just plated ball. She's been pressing a bit lately, so I was trying to ease it up a bit for her."
- On Haleigh Lowe's night: "Haleigh [Lowe] has been dialed in lately and it's awesome to see the at-bats she's having. It hasn't been just tonight, but she's been doing it all season. I'm proud of her."
Haleigh Lowe
- On if she was planning on going for the inside-the-park home run: "I sure didn't. I thought Coach Clark was going to stop me [at third] and I kind of got caught up and tripped running home."
- On her play as of late: "At practice, I've been working on seeing the ball out front and getting my front foot down. I'm just going up there in compete mode over the last several games. I'm just getting in the box ready to go. "
- On getting off the quick start: "It's always good to get the momentum early, especially with [Kaleigh] Todd at the top of the lineup. When you are able to score first, it's easier for you to play defense and you give your pitcher a chance to go out there with confidence. It also gives us confidence at the plate."
- On what this win can do for the team: "This type of win gives us confidence as we head into the remainder of our schedule."
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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