USA vs. ULM box score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The second-seeded University of South Alabama softball team shut out No. 7 Louisiana-Monroe 6-0 in round one of the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament at the FAU Softball Complex Wednesday afternoon.

“This was a great start,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “You always want to come out strong and with some momentum in the conference tournament so you can have something to build on. The kids did a great job of that today. Our kids did a tremendous job of coming back even stronger after the rain delay. Our offense did a great job today. We kept our foot on the gas and kept putting pressure on them. We put ourselves in positions to score almost every inning of the game.”

With the win, the Jags advance to 36-15 on the season while the Warhawks fall to 24-25 overall.

USA outhit ULM 6-4 on the day. Junior Meghan Collins brought home three of the six Jaguar runs and went 1-for-2 at the plate. Senior Haley Hopkins and Junior Brittany Fowler each put up two hits in three at-bats and two RBI while freshman Blair Johnson added a hit and a pair of runs.

The Jags jumped ahead to the early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. ULM starting pitcher Samantha Hamby led off the game by issuing back-to-back walks to freshmen Alyssa Linn and Johnson before Fowler hit a double down the left line sending Linn home. With Haylie Wilson in to pitch for Hamby, Hopkins followed with another double to shallow left field plating Johnson. A sacrifice fly by junior Meghan Collins pushed Fowler across for the third and final run of the inning.

After over a two-hour rain delay, South Alabama tacked on two more in the bottom of the third. With one out in the inning, Johnson hit one up the middle to give the Jaguars their first base runner of the third. Fowler lined out to the second baseman before a Hopkins single put Johnson in scoring position. Collins then hits a two-run double to right center giving USA the 5-0 advantage. ULM picked up the third out before the Jags could do any more damage.

Fowler recorded her sixth home run of the year and her second extra-base hit of the contest with a solo shot over the center field fence putting South Alabama on top 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth.

Sophomore Hannah Campbell (20-10) tossed her career-leading eighth shutout of the year allowing only four hits on the afternoon and striking out six. ULM’s Hamby (7-6) suffered the loss after giving up a hit and three runs in the first. Wilson threw 4.1 innings and allowed five hits and the other three USA runs. The Warhawks’ second relief pitcher, Jessica Chastka, did not give up a hit in her 1.2 innings of work.

South Alabama will square off with No. 3 FIU Thursday at 4 p.m. EST in round two of the SBC Tournament at the FAU Softball Complex.

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).