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MOBILE, Ala. – Not a seat was left open on Wednesday night at a brimming Jaguar Field, packed past capacity with nearly a thousand on hand to witness what was sure to be an instant-classic – a matchup between shoulder-chipped and reeling top-25’s with critics to silence.
 
Surely none in attendance, save for 16 ivory-laden young women in steel-tips, expected what was to unfold.
 
Twelve runs off 15 hits and two-and-a-half hours later, No. 25 University of South Alabama softball was celebrating its most important victory of the 2013 campaign, a 12-5 thrashing of No. 12/13 LSU, USA’s first over the Tigers in six tries.
 
The 15 hits were the most USA has recorded this season, as well as the most LSU has given up this year. USA tied its season-high in runs, which also were the most the Tigers have suffered this season.
 
LSU employed three different pitchers in the contest. Starter Rachele Fico was replaced by Ashley Czechner after the former gave up seven runs, six earned, on eight hits in 2 and 2/3 innings, but the reliever suffered three earned runs and lasted only 2/3 of a frame before being traded for Meghan Patterson, who gave up two earned through the same stretch before Fico returned to close out the contest.
 
“We talked about staying in the strike zone, and I thought they did that,” USA head coach Becky Clark explained. “They didn’t chase pitches. We worked inside; a lot of the stuff we were doing was middle-of-the-field, and that’s what we talk about a lot, especially against this kind of pitching. You can’t try to overpower them. You have to take what they give and work inside the ball, and I thought our kids did a great job of that all night long.”
 
Powered by Haley Fagan’s career-best 4-for-4 performance and a combined 10 strikeouts from Farish Beard and Hannah Campbell, USA (28-5) jumped ahead, 11-0, and withstood a late Tiger rally to earn its fifth-consecutive victory and improve to 10-1 at home.
 
Consecutive singles from Moss and Fagan put two on for Collins in the bottom of the second. Collins then reached on a fielder’s choice that was hit at the Tiger shortstop, who threw wide of second in an attempt to force Fagan out, and Moss rounded third on the play to score USA’s premier run.
 
The Jags tacked on six in the following frame, beginning with another pair of leadoff singles, this time from Blair Johnson and Brittany Fowler, before Moss hit an RBI double to center. Alex Breeden reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Fagan, who singled, from third. After Britany Campbell got a base hit, she and Breeden crossed the plate to make it 7-0 USA when Johnson singled for a second time in the same inning.
 
The hosts added four more to the unanswered total a frame later. Fagan ripped a solo shot over the center field wall before B. Campbell delivered her second base hit to score Kaitlyn Griffith, who was hit by a pitch. Emily Messer later singled up the middle, Collins scoring on the play after a throwing error by LSU’s catcher.

After singling up the middle in the bottom of the fifth, Fagan scored her third run of the night on a Griffith double to left center.
 
All but one USA starter recorded a hit on Wednesday. Fagan singled three times and hit her fifth homer of the year to lead the Jaguars at the plate, while Johnson, Moss,  Collins and B. Campbell each had two hits. Johnson and Collins also registered two RBIs apiece.
 
Beard struck out eight to move to 12-0 on the year. She gave up her first hit to the Tigers in the fifth inning after she walked two and hit one by a pitch to load the bases for a Jacee Blades single that scored one. Bianka Bell then hit a grand slam that brought the scoreline to 11-5.
 
H. Campbell then came on for Beard and retired eight of the last 10 LSU batters, striking out two and allowing only two hits and a walk. Fico took the loss, dropping to 16-5 on the year.
 
“It’s hard for me to single one kid out," Clark continued. "We moved some things around, trying to find a lineup that we liked and that would click, and I think we finally found it. We moved some people around in the order and put some people who were hot up in the order, and that paid off for us tonight. I thought the entire lineup had a great night tonight.
 
“Our pitching right now, team pitching, is number one in the conference, and hitting is second in the conference. Our pitchers are keeping us in ball games. You’d like to clean up the fifth inning a little bit – putting people on base when you’ve got that big lead – but, thankfully, our offense got us enough runs that it didn’t get us in the end.”
 
USA will next host Western Kentucky on Friday and Saturday in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series. First pitch for Friday’s doubleheader is slated for 4 p.m., with game two following approximately 20 minutes after. Game three on Saturday is scheduled for a noon start.
 
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).