MOBILE, Ala. ? The University of South Alabama softball team fell 6-1 to Sun Belt Conference leader Troy at Jaguar Field Tuesday afternoon.

USA softball moves to 12-15-1 overall and 0-3 in Sun Belt Conference play as it finished its seven-game home stand with a 4-3 record.

Troy (23-6, 6-0 SBC) put three runs on the board early in the game when Hayden Gann hit a two-run single that plated Hillary Hughes and Kala Moore. Gann would score two batters later on Rocky Paige’s single through the left side.

The Trojans used a two-out rally in the top of the fourth after Beth Pilgrim came in for relief of Katy Neal to add to their advantage. Moore extended the lead to 5-0 when she drove in Felicia Hammer and Kaitlin Kenney on a double to center field. Moore went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs, two hits and two RBI.  

“Our pitchers did a good enough job to give us chances in that game,” said head coach Becky Clark. “We have to be better defensively and at the plate.”

Haley Hopkins came in for USA at the top of the seventh, as Pilgrim left the game after two innings in the circle. Tasha Elmore put the Trojans up 6-0 on a single through the left side that plated Moore.

Tara Donaldson recorded the first USA hit of the game in the seventh on a single up the middle that moved Carolina Mendoza from first to third base. Mendoza came home on Marissa Boyd’s groundout to shortstop to put the Jags on the board.

“We have to do a better job at the plate,” Clark said. “We watched some pitches go by that we should have been swinging at, then got down in the count and were swinging out of the strike zone.”

Ashlyn Williams (14-5) recorded the win for Troy with 12 strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Neal (5-2) would leave the circle after 3.2 innings of work with two strikeouts, taking the loss for USA.

“We have fought through a lot as a team. We have had a lot of things thrown at us this season and the kids have done a good job fighting through all that,” Clark stated. “We will get back to where we need to be Thursday and this weekend.”

South Alabama softball will go on the road for a 2 p.m. matchup Thursday in Jacksonville, Ala., against Jacksonville State.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).