MOBILE, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama softball team wins the Jaguar Classic, with a 3-1 record in the tournament.  USA hosted Birmingham Southern, Grambling State and Southeastern Louisiana in the inaugural season’s home-opening tournament.  The Jags improve to 6-5 with the 5-0 win over Birmingham Southern Sunday.

“We’re excited to win our home tournament,” said head coach Becky Clark.  “I think anytime you do what Linden (Jones) did with the consistency on the mound and put the ball in play, good things happen.”

After going 2-1 in Saturday’s games and having the largest run differential, South Alabama earned the number one seed, receiving a bye in Sunday’s bracket game after the number four seed, Grambling State, pulled out of the tournament.

In game one on Sunday, Birmingham Southern defeated Southeastern Louisiana by a score of 7-0, giving the Jags a chance to redeem their 3-0 loss from Saturday night, in the Championship Game of the Jaguar Classic.

In the second inning of USA’s game, the Jags got on the board with a base-hit by sophomore Tara Donaldson plating rightfielder Katie McGuire, to give USA an early 1-0 lead.  They added two more in the third, with junior Amanda Leggett and sophomore Kristen Hayes each scoring after reaching on base-hits. 

Junior Evelyne Pare led off the fourth inning with an infield single and was moved to third on a double by Leggett. She later scored on a base-hit by first baseman Corey Race, giving the Jaguars a 4-0 lead.

Birmingham Southern led off the first and fifth innings with a base-hit, but was unable to add to the score. 

The Jaguars added one more unearned run in the bottom of the sixth, on a single by Race.  She eventually scored on a shot by Mendoza to centerfield, to expand their lead 5-0. 

The Panthers led off the top of the seventh with a double, but senior Linden Jones and the Jag defense were able to get out of the inning to end the game. 

Jones (4-3) earned her fourth win of the season and her third of the tournament. She pitched a complete game, striking out ten batters, only walking one and giving up just five hits.  Raquel Sanfiel (2-4) took the loss for the Panthers, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out two batters in 2.1 innings of work.

South Alabama will be back in action at home on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in a doubleheader against Alabama State.  The first game is scheduled for 2 p.m.