MOBILE, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama softball team scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally and defeat Southern Miss Monday night at Jaguar Field. True freshman Jenny Stevens drew a walk off walk to give the Jags the 9-8 victory.
"I thought we came out with really good energy tonight," said South Alabama softball head coach Becky Clark. "We got down and we were able to keep fighting and I think the biggest thing about this group is that they don't quit. As a head coach that is the one thing I look for. You can do all kinds of skill drills but there is no drill for character. Its good to see that they have that kind of heart."
With the win, South Alabama improves its record to 20-11 on the season, while the Golden Eagles fall to 10-24. Amanda Leggett picked up the win in relief and improved to 3-2 on the season, while Southern Miss’ Shae Naramore (7-18) took the loss. The Jags will continue play on Wednesday when they head to Macon, Ga., to take on Mercer in a doubleheader. Game one of the two-game series is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Southern Miss broke through with the game’s first run when the Golden Eagles plated a run in second inning. Designated player Megan Hill led the inning off with a double to right center and Jag starter Beth Pilgrim looked, as if she was going to get out of the inning unscaved, but USM second baseman Lauren Castellvi dropped in a two-strike two-out single in left center to plate Hill and give the Golden Eagles the early 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom half of the inning, South Alabama answered right back with two runs of its own to take its first lead of the night. Kristen Hayes drove a 2-2 pitch to the centerfield wall to bring in Corey Race and Carolina Mendoza, who had walked earlier in the inning.
USM came right back and retook the lead in the third. USM’s Allison Bullard doubled off the centerfield wall to lead off the inning and was moved to third by Melissa Prouty’s sacrifice bunt. Pouty was also able to reach base and advance to second on the play after a throwing error by Hayes. Bullard then tied the score up when she came home on Brandi Alonzo’s RBI ground out. USM kept things going and added another run when the Golden Eagles’ next batter, shortstop Karissa Jones, singled to center to drive in Prouty and give USM the 3-2 lead.
Southern Miss expanded its lead in the fourth when Prouty lifted her first home run of the season to left. The blast was a two-run shot for the Golden Eagle right fielder and was her second and third runs driven in on the night. The Jag defensive gave USM its third run of the inning when Alonzo came in on another USA throwing error to make it 6-2.
After leaving runners on base each of the previous three innings, South Alabama trimmed the deficit to 6-4 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Jags led off the inning with three straight base hits and then Ashley Elmore drove in Taylor Rich from third with an RBI ground out. USA loaded the bases for the second time in the inning after Tara Donaldson drew her second walk of the night and Katie McGuire came into score when Southern Miss catcher Kristen Pilgrim overthrew James at first attempting to turn a double play to get out of the inning.
Hill gave the Golden Eagles a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh when the freshman blasted her team-best eighth home run of the season, this one a two-run shot over the left center wall.
Trailing by four heading into the final inning of play, the Jags began to mount their comeback. Carolina Mendoza led the inning off when she singled off Castellvi’s glove at second. Hayes and Rich then reached on back-to-back walks to load the bases for Evelyne Pare who drove in Mendoza and Hayes with a single to left center. A wild pitch from USM starter Samantha Davis advanced both Jag runners up a base and then McGuire drew USA’s third walk of the inning to reload the bases. South Alabama cut the deficit to one (8-7) when Donaldson was walked by Naramore to bring in another run. After Southern Miss’ second pitching change of the inning, Race recorded an infield single to bring in McGuire. Stevens then looked at four straight pitches out of the strike zone to bring in Elmore for the Jaguar victory.
NOTE: USA starting pitcher Linden Jones was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Pitcher of the Week earlier on Monday after recording South Alabama’s first-ever no-hitter against Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Jones came close to recording another no hitter in her start on Sunday against the Blue Raiders. In the 1-0 victory, she allowed just one MTSU hit. The Jag ace was 4-1 this past week and leads the Jags with a 13-6 record and a 1.60 ERA.
