MOBILE, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama softball team split a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader with Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Field. USA took the opener 4-2 but fell 2-1 in game two.
The Jags now stands at 34-19 on the season and 10-9 in the conference, while Western Kentucky moves to 26-28 on the season and 9-11 in the Sun Belt. USA and WKU will close out the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday and prior to the game; the Jags will honor their lone senior Linden Jones.
GAME ONE: South Alabama 4, Western Kentucky 2
In the opener, Western Kentucky jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a run in the first. Leadoff hitter Rachelle Boucher walked to start the game and then was sacrificed over to second by Hilltopper centerfielder Sam Cronk. With two outs in the inning, Rebecca Horesky lined a single to center scoring Boucher. WKU threatened to put more runs on the board when it loaded the bases, but Jag starting pitcher Linden Jones worked out of the jam and struck out Ashley Contreras to end the inning.
South Alabama finally broke through with three runs in the bottom of the third. Kait Chernomaz beat out an infield single to start things off for USA. Jag first baseman Corey Race then walked and Tara Donaldson dropped a single just inside the left field line to load the bases. Jenny Stevens tied the game when she reached on a one out infield single. Ashley Elmore, who was pinch running for Chernomaz, scored on the play. South Alabama’s Katie McGuire then laced a two-run double to the gap in right center that rolled to the wall, scoring Race and Donaldson.
Western Kentucky’s Terri Ellingsworth trimmed the Jaguar lead to 3-2 in the fifth with her second home run of the season, a solo shot to left.
The Jags added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Carolina Mendoza homered to left center, increasing USA’s lead to 4-2. For Mendoza, it was the freshman shortstop’s fourth home run of the year.
Jones (18-9) went the distance for the Jags, recording her 18th complete game of the season. The Jag senior recorded nine strike outs on the day, while allowing just three hits. Jennifer Kempf took the loss for the Lady Toppers and fell to 16-16 on the season.
GAME TWO: Western Kentucky 2, South Alabama 1
Like they did in the opener, the Hilltoppers jumped out in front in the first inning with an unearned run. Boucher reached courtesy of a two-base Jaguar error and moved to third when she was sacrificed around. Alana Towns then drove in Boucher with an RBI ground out to short.
The Jags tied the contest up at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back doubles. With one out in the inning, Donaldson doubled to left center and then came around to score on Stevens RBI double to center.
In the top of the seventh, Western Kentucky retook the lead for good when Contreras drove a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left for her first home run of the season, a solo shot that put Western Kentucky up 2-1.
Kempf (17-16), who pitched her second complete game of the day in game two, pitched a scoreless seventh and picked up the win for Western Kentucky. Pilgrim took the loss and falls to 10-6. The Cantonment, Fla., native, struck out six and allowed just three hits in the loss.
Stevens was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate for the Jags in the second game and 5-for-6 in the doubleheader.
