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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – University of South Alabama softball swept its doubleheader on Friday to open play at the Jacksonville University tournament by defeating Mount St. Mary’s, 12-2, and the host-Dolphins, 7-0, to move to 11-1 on the season and extend its current win streak to 10 games.
 
Blair Johnson led the Jaguars at the plate, going 4-for-8 with three RBI and two runs scored. Meghan Collins carded three hits, including her fifth double of the season, while also scoring two runs. Catcher Alex Breeden went 2-for-3 against JU, cementing herself as the team’s current leader at the plate with a .385 batting average, tied for the team lead in RBI with 11.
 
As a team, USA batted .346 on the day, recording 18 hits and scoring 19 runs to its opponents two. Through 12 games, South Alabama is batting .323 to its opponents .188.
 
Jessica Dobson earned her third start of the year against the Mount and held the opposition to only three hits, while striking out four. Hannah Campbell got the win against JU in the nightcap, striking out two and allowing no runs to improve her overall ERA to a team-leading 0.82.
 
Against Jacksonville, Julie Moss belted her second homer of the year, the junior registering a 1.000 slugging percentage on Friday.
 
USA will return to doubleheader action on Saturday at JU Softball Complex with bouts versus Seton Hall and Delaware at 8:30 a.m. (CT) and 10:45 a.m. (CT), respectively.
 
USA 12, Mount St. Mary’s 2 (5 inn.)
USA wasted no time in acquiring a decisive advantage, scoring three runs apiece in the first two innings. Each began, correspondingly, with Stephanie Pilkington walking, stealing second and scoring a run off the bat of Blair Johnson, who singled to score the runner at the top of both frames.
 
In the first inning, Brittany Fowler and Meghan Collins were hit by pitches to follow Johnson rip, and the bases were loaded with no outs. Haley Fagan took a base on balls to score Johnson.
 
Kaitlyn Griffith then singled to right field to score Fowler, making it 3-0 Jags. After Pilkington’s second tally extended the USA advantage to 4-0 in the next inning, Fowler walked, Collins reached on a fielder’s choice and Fagan got her second free base of the day to load the bags again. Griffith was then walked to give Fowler an easy trip across the plate. Mount starter Nicole Pagano then let loose a wild pitch that scored Collins from third to make it 6-0, USA.
 
Jaguar starter Jessica Dobson registered three of her four strikeouts in the second and third innings to bridge a scoreless USA third, before South Alabama blew the contest open with a five-run fourth inning.
 
Johnson singled and stole second, and Collins also singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Fagan reached on a Mount throwing error, which scored Johnson and moved Collins to third. Fagan then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch that pushed Collins across the plate to extend the Jaguar lead , eight runs to zero.
 
Rachel Gavigan came on for Pagano an out into the frame, but the reliever found no sympathy from the Jags, who scored three more before the inning was done after a wild pitch scored Fagan, Britany Campbell’s double to the left field wall scored Griffith, who walked, and Pilkington ripped an RBI single that was too hard for Mount’s first baseman to corral.
 
Griffith provided a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Brittany Fowler for USA’s 12th and final run of the day. Kaleigh Floore relieved USA starter Jessica Dobson in the fifth and gave up three hits and the first two runs of her career, both earned.
 
Dobson moved to 3-0 on the year with the win, while Pagano dropped to 0-2 after giving up 10 runs, nine earned, and throwing over 140 pitches in 3.1 innings. Pagano allowed five hits, gave up nine walks and threw three wild pitches on the day.
 
USA’s 10 walks were the most it has drawn all season. Johnson led the Jags at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Collins carded two hits in three at-bats, scoring two runs. Pilkington, Fowler, Fagan and Griffith were each walked twice.
 
The win was USA’s fifth run-rule victory of the season.
 
USA 7, Jacksonville 0
Against JU, USA’s offense struggled to find a rhythm as early as it did in the first game, but, thanks to effective pitching from its ace, H. Campbell, and a steadfast defense, the Jaguars held off the hosts enough to produce six runs in the final two innings.
 
Pilkington delivered the first blow of the affair when she led off with a double to center field, advancing to third on a fielding error. Fowler drove the freshman in two batters later with a hard grounder that occupied the Dolphins’ second baseman, giving Pilkington enough time to cross the plate for a 1-0 Jaguar lead.
 
USA managed four hits over the next three innings, but could not convert its scoring opportunities; however, the real pressure lay on the Dolphins, with H. Campbell allowing only one hit through the first four innings.
 
JU’s first genuine threat occurred in the fifth inning, when Ashley Simon singled to second base, but USA answered with a Fagan, Griffith and Fowler combining for a 5-4-6 double play that stuffed the hosts’ chance.
 
Fowler then sparked the visiting offense to lead off the sixth with a cracking single up the middle. Collins laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Fowler to second before Moss’s homer extended USA’s lead by four runs.
 
A four-run seventh began with Breeden’s single to left. Emily Messer came on to pinch run and moved to second when B. Campbell laid down a bunt that the Dolphin third baseman could not make a play on. Pilkington reached on an error by the same defensive player, and Messer scored on the play. Johnson followed with a double to left center, which scored B. Campbell.
 
Fagan reached on another fielding error by JU’s third baseman, scoring Pilkington and Alyssa Linn, who pinch ran for Johnson.
 
A JU pop up, ground out and fly out ended the contest. The Dolphins dropped to 8-4 on the year.
 
NOTES:
Since going down first to Central Arkansas on Feb. 9, USA has scored first in each of its last seven games…The Jags are 8-0 when scoring first… Griffith is currently riding a four-game hit streak…USA is averaging 7.25 runs per game…The Jags have given up more than two runs only once this season (vs. Central Arkansas, 7-4 W, Feb. 9)…Johnson, riding a five-game hit streak, recorded her second three-hit game of the year against the Mount on Friday.
 
Further results from the Jacksonville University tournament will be posted to the Jaguar athletics webpage immediately following each game. Live stats can be found via the USA softball schedule page shortly before first pitch of each game. Followers of Jaguar softball’s Twitter account, @SAJagsSftball, will be given live updates at the conclusion of each half-inning.
 
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).