USA vs. Lipscomb box score

USA vs. Memphis box score

Photo Gallery (USA vs. LU)

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team went 1-1 on the final day of the Mardi Gras Invitational Sunday held at Jaguar Field.

After topping Lipscomb (1-3) by a score of 6-1, USA fell to the 2-2 Memphis Tigers 3-1 bringing the Jags 1-3 on the season.

“The biggest thing is that we know we’re not playing well right now,” said Jaguar head coach Becky Clark. “We’ve started out, for whatever reason, not playing very well, and it’s not stuff that we haven’t worked on. It’s the stuff that we do every single day in practice, and it’s just early in the season. We haven’t come together yet and we’ve got to figure some things out.

“My message to them was that you can, either, pout about it, or do something about it. These are the kind of kids that are going to go do something about it. As a coach, when you know that you’re not playing well and you know that you have more ability than your record shows, then you know that you’ll get it. Like I told them, our record is not an indication of our ability level. Our record is an indication of how we’re playing right now. We know that we’ve got to do a better job and we’ll figure it out.”   

USA 6, Lipscomb 1

The Jaguars picked up their first win of the season Sunday afternoon, downing Lipscomb, 6-1. Junior Jessica Dobson (DeMotte, Ind.) and senior Katy Neal (Pace, Fla.) split time in the circle, with Neal securing the win with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief; she allowed just two hits and struck out two without issuing a walk. Neal’s last win as a pitcher came in 4.2 innings of scoreless relief against Louisiana-Monroe in 2010.

LU’s Whitney Kiihnl (1-2) took her second loss of the season in the matchup.
With two outs in the bottom of the second, junior Brittany Fowler (Jacksonville, Fla.) – who was 1-for-2 at the plate, scoring two runs in the game – drove home the first four USA runs of the day with a grand slam to left center, which would be enough for the Jags to get the win.

In the top of the fourth, two consecutive Lady Bison doubles to left field by Kristen Sturdivant and Rena’ Cothron led to LU’s only run of the game, but South Alabama answered in the bottom of the inning with a run by Fowler on a Lipscomb error.
The last run of the contest came after sophomore Julie Moss (Birmingham, Ala.) reached on a fielder’s choice after LU tried to throw out senior Christin Crocker (Pelham, Ala.) at second base; after an overthrow, Moss advanced to second and Crocker to third. Meghan Collins (Slidell, La.) then grounded out to first, bringing home Crocker.

USA had five hits in the game, but also drew seven walks.  Britany Campbell (Phoenix, Ariz.) went 2-for-3 with a run, while Crocker had a hit and walked twice.  Fowler and Haley Hopkins (Gulf Shores, Ala.) also reached base safely twice.

Kiihnl was 2-for-2, pacing a Lady Bisons attack that collected eight hits.

Memphis 3, USA 1

The Tigers’ first relief pitcher, Sara Pearson (1-0), was credited with the win after 2.2 scoreless innings, while Ellen Roberts got the save for her 2.1 innings of work without a run. Campbell gave up three runs on the night, none of which were earned, and fell to 0-3 on the year after tossing seven innings.

After retiring the side in the top of the first, senior Hopkins singled up the middle and advanced on a throwing error by Ashleigh King to plate freshman Alyssa Linn (Kimberly, Ala.). Linn – who had singled with one out to get on base – finished 2-for-3 with one run in her first collegiate start for USA.

After three South Alabama errors, Memphis was able to rally with three unearned runs in the top of the third.  King led off with a single and stole second, coming home on a throwing error as Jami Miller reached on a fielder’s choice.  Kassy Dunn gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead with a suicide squeeze that brought Dunn home, coming around to score on another miscue with two outs.

Pearson and Roberts were able to fend off the Jags, giving up only one hit each in the third and the seventh innings, respectively.
In the seventh inning, Campbell tried to spark a rally with a triple to the gap in right center with one out, but the Tigers picked up the final two outs to win the game.

In the first game of the day, Mississippi State (4-0) rallied from a 4-1 deficit at the end of five innings to defeat Memphis, 9-6, after scoring eight runs in the top of the sixth.  Alabama followed up the Jaguars’ win with a 3-0 victory over Jacksonville State.

The Jaguars will be back in action at the Jacksonville State Invitational in Jacksonville, Ala., taking on Southeastern Louisiana on Friday at 1 p.m.

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).