Beth Pilgrim threw her sixth shutout of the season as the University of South Alabama softball team (26-23-1, 10-9 SBC) took game one 8-0 against Western Kentucky (27-17, 11-9 SBC). The Jags fell 5-4 in Saturday’s second game at Jaguar Field.
In game one, Carolina Mendoza led a Jaguar rally in the bottom of the second with a leadoff single to left center. Two batters later Kait Chernomaz hit a RBI-double to left field to plate Mendoza. Chernomaz came home on the next at-bat off a Marissa Boyd shallow single to right that put USA up 2-0.
The Jags pushed their lead to 3-0 in the third after Corey Race brought home Kelsey Volz on a RBI-single to the shortstop.
Pilgrim faced the minimum number of batters until the fourth when Brooke Reed got the only WKU hit of the game on an infield single. Pilgrim (16-10) went the distance in her sixth shutout of the season with three strikeouts.
“The first game had a lot of energy,” said head coach Becky Clark. “We hit the ball well and kept them down offensively.”
Ryan Rogge (21-8) took the loss for the Lady Toppers, after 5.1 innings pitched and four strikeouts.
In the fourth, Crocker extended the lead to 5-0 with a home run over left field that scored Boyd. The home run marks her sixth of the season.
The Jags capped the 8-0 win in the sixth when Danielle Honore hit her first homer of the season to left center to score Mendoza and Katie McGuire. Honore went 2-for-2 at the plate with three RBI and one run scored. McGuire went 2-for-4 with one run scored while Mendoza was 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
In the second game, WKU put up three early runs in the first after Rebecca Horesky homered to center to plate Reed and Kelsey McCauley.
USA closed the gap to 3-2 in the second when Chernomaz brought around Honore and Race on a single to right field. The Lady Toppers then brought in Ryan Rogge for Jennifer Kempt, who left the game after one inning.
In the fourth, Race led off with a double to right and Chernomaz followed with a double to left to plate pinch runner Julie Morton and tie the game at 3-3. Kelsy Donaldson then put USA up 4-3 on a single up the middle that scored Chernomaz. Chernomaz went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run scored.
Pilgrim came in to pitch in the fifth for Katy Neal (10-6), who left the game after 4.0 innings of work. WKU tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth when Reed came home unearned in a Terri Ellingsworth at-bat.
“We had the opportunity to win the second game but defensive errors killed us,” Clark said. “We have to come out tomorrow with cleaner defense and continue to stay strong on the bats like we were today.”
The Lady Toppers put up a run in the seventh to edge past the Jags 5-4 after Reed scored unearned on an Ellingsworth infield single. Reed went 1-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored.
Pilgrim finished the game with two strikeouts in 3.0 innings of work.
Sunday is senior day for Jaguar softball, with a special presentation slated to begin before the 1 p.m. game time.
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).
