USA vs. NT 3 box score

DENTON, Texas – The University of South Alabama softball team came out on top of a defensive battle in game three of the Sun Belt Conference series with North Texas Sunday at Lovelace Stadium in Denton, Texas, shutting out the Mean Green 2-0 and clinching the series.

“This was a big road win,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “North Texas is a very good team and a very good offensive club. It was huge for us to be able to bounce back from late innings last night, being on the road, and for us to tough it out and get the win. It showed a lot of toughness on our kids’ part.”

After dropping game one of Saturday’s doubleheader to North Texas 2-1, the Jaguars defeated the Mean Green 3-1 after 10 innings in game two. Sunday’s game three win lifted USA to 19-14 overall and 13-6 in the SBC, and gave the Jags their fifth conference series of the season.

With the loss, North Texas fell to 20-24 on the year and 10-10-1 in league play.

Sophomore lefty Hannah Campbell (17-9) went the distance in the circle for South Alabama striking out five en route to her seventh shutout of the year. H. Campbell allowed only four hits and issued one walk in seven innings of work. The Mean Green’s Ashley Kirk took the loss after tossing five innings and giving up four hits and both Jaguar runs. Following Kirk’s fourth walk of the contest, Brittany Simmons entered the game and tossed two innings of scoreless relief.

“Hannah was big today,” Clark said. “We made some adjustments on how we were throwing to them and she hit her spots all day long. There was a point in the sixth inning when she had a runner on second and (Maddelyn) Fraley was up and you could really see her step up and make the pitches she needed to make to get out of that. She was huge in this game.”

USA outhit North Texas 6-4 on the day with junior Brittany Fowler leading the way with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate. Juniors Britany Campbell and Meghan Collins and freshmen Blair Johnson and Kaitlyn Griffith put up a hit each.

“Our offence competed a lot more today,” said Clark. “We did more of the little things right. We did some situational hitting to move some runners over and things like that. We just competed more at the plate which is what we’re all about. We get on the field, compete and go hard.”

The Jags got on the board first scoring one run in the top of the third. Kirk walked B. Campbell to lead off the inning. B. Campbell then stole second before freshman Alyssa Linn grounded out to the North Texas second baseman moving B. Campbell to third. Johnson stepped up hitting a one-out single to right field plating B. Campbell.

Fowler followed with a single to left before a wild pitch pushed her to second and Johnson to third. Kirk then issued another walk to Collins loading the bases, but was able to work her way out of the jam striking out senior Haley Hopkins and getting senior Christin Crocker to foul out to the third baseman.

Griffith’s solo shot to left field with one out in the top of the fourth inning sealed the deal for the Jaguars putting South Alabama on top 2-0.

South Alabama will return home to kick off a seven-game home stretch to close out the regular season with a mid-week doubleheader against Mercer beginning at 1 p.m. on April 25 at Jaguar Field.

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