BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama softball team remains undefeated in the Russell Athletic Spring Tournament. USA defeated Austin Peay 5-4 and Birmingham Southern 2-1, to earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Jags improve to 13-7 on the season, while APSU falls to 11-9 and BSC falls to 6-14.
In USA’s first game of the day, the Jaguars handed APSU its first loss of the tournament with a 5-4 victory. Junior Evelyne Pare reached on a lead-off walk and later scored on a base hit by sophomore Corey Race, but Austin Peay answered back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring its lead-off hitter on a sacrifice fly to keep the game even, with one run a piece.
The Lady Govs added three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead, but the Jags tied the game in the top of the fifth. With one out, the Jaguars scored three runs on four hits before APSU was able to end the inning, with a 4-4 score.
In the top of the sixth, Pare reached on an error and later scored on a sacrifice by Race to add an insurance run for the Jags, giving them a 5-4 lead, which they were able to maintain for the victory.
Freshman Beth Pilgrim (4-2) earned the win, striking out three batters, while walking one. She tossed 5.0 innings, giving up four runs on six hits. Senior Linden Jones picked up her first save of the season, pitching 2.0 innings with three strikeouts against seven batters faced. Lacey Briscoe (3-1) took the loss for the Lady Gov’s giving up one run on two hits, while striking out two batters.
In the Jags’ second game, Birmingham Southern jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, plating lead-off hitter Melissa Muehlenfeld on a base hit by Lindsey Creighton. USA tied it up in the third with an RBI double by designated hitter Tara Donaldson to plate Race.
Freshman Jenny Stevens added the winning run, in the sixth inning, on a lead-off solo home run to centerfield to give the Jags the 2-1 victory.
Jones (8-3) earned the win, not giving up any runs, striking out four and only allowing two hits in 5.0 innings of work. Bethney Reynoldson took the loss, giving up two runs on seven hits, while striking out four batters and walking three in 7.0 innings pitched.
As the No. 1 seed, the Jags will play the No. 4 seed Sunday at 11 a.m. The winner of that contest will go on to the championship game, which is scheduled for 1 p.m.
