Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. – One is in. One is out. One is up. One is down. But on Wednesday night, No. 23 University of South Alabama softball’s Farish Beard and Hannah Campbell were a display of impeccably-orchestrated dissimilarity, as the Jaguar hurling duo tricked and trapped No. 25 Florida State all night en route to a 4-0 victory at Jaguar Field.
 
The pair combined for its sixth win-save result of the season, Beard moving to a perfect 16-0 on the year and H. Campbell recording her Sun Belt Conference-leading sixth save. The former struck out six batters to two walks and allowed three hits in the first four innings, while the latter struck out four in three relief frames, allowing only a hit and walk.
 
USA (35-7, 11-3 SBC) outhit the Seminoles (31-14, 10-2 ACC), 7-4, on the night, handing FSU its first shutout in 31 games, dating back to its 2-0 loss to Nebraska on Feb. 24. Lacey Waldrop took the loss for the ‘Noles, giving up three runs, all earned, on six hits in four innings of work. Monica Perry threw two innings of relief, giving up one run (earned) off one hit.
 
Florida State’s pitching staff led the Atlantic Coast Conference with a combined ERA of 1.94 heading into Wednesday’s game. The starter, Waldrop, headed the league with her personal 1.62, and the sophomore right-hander looked promising at the start, retiring five of USA’s first six batters, but freshman designated player Emily Messer, moved from leadoff to the eight-hole in Wednesday’s lineup, triggered a three-hit, four-run bottom-of-the-third with an exemplary bunt single that croaked right o'er home plate.
 
The new leadoff, Brittany Fowler, ripped a screamer up the left field line for a single that stretched into two bases after FSU’s outfield throw was too late to beat Messer at third. The hit was Fowler’s 200^th as a Jaguar, the senior leading the program in the category.
 
Blair Johnson followed with a bases-clearing, two-RBI double to short left center that made it 2-0 USA. After she advanced to third on a Seminole throwing error from the outfield, Johnson strode a short stretch to home plate when Haley Fagan notched her team-leading 36^th RBI of the year with a single to center.
 
Twice in the fourth frame the visitor momentum was dashed, first, when USA second baseman Kaitlyn Griffith reeled in a Maddie O’Brien grounder, tagged pinch-runner Courtney Adams and threw the batter out at first, and second, when Morgan Bullock doubled to left field, but was tagged out at third after Fowler’s prompt relay from Johnson to Fagan.
 
Beard allowed a Kirstin Austin double to left center in the top of the fifth before Clark decided to insert H. Campbell. The junior dealt a walk to Bailey Schinella before forcing three consecutive outs to end the frame.
 
Julie Moss took Perry's first pitch over the left center field wall for her fifth homer of the year, giving the Jags a 4-0 lead and H. Campbell some breathing room. The relief pitcher then retired six of the last eight FSU batters, half by strikeouts, to secure the save.
 
“I thought the pitching did a great job,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “This is the best offense in the ACC and to shut them out and only give up four runs, I thought that was huge. Our pitching and our defense were really big tonight.”
 
“The kids executed, we put some runners in motion and I thought they did a great job,” she continued. “We changed the lineup a little bit tonight. We put Fowler in the leadoff spot, and I thought that worked out for us. We had those eight and nine hitters really working hard trying to get on and get back to the top of the order, and they paid off for us. It got us some speed on [the bases] when the top of the order came up, and I thought that was great.
 
“I’ve been saying all season long, ‘Consistency,’” added Clark. “Our offense has been really working hard on being consistent every time. I thought they did a good job of making adjustments when they needed to. There were a couple of times when we needed to cut our swing down a little bit, but for the most part to be able to see this kind of pitching – that’s a very good pitching staff – and to see that kind of pitching and make adjustments, that helps us more than anything, because if we are fortunate enough to make it to the postseason this is the type of pitching that we’ll see.”
 
USA will next host North Texas in a three-game, conference set this weekend, beginning with a Saturday doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. start, with Sunday’s game three scheduled for 11 a.m.
 
NOTES:
USA moved to 14-3 at home this season and 24-4 in nonconference games…Wednesday's victory was USA's third over a top-25 opponent this year, after the Jags dismanteled No. 13 LSU, 12-5, recently and took two of three in a conference series against then-No. 22 ULL...FSU was the first ACC opponent USA has competed against since Georgia Tech in the NCAA Regional last season…The Jags have now claimed consecutive victories over the 'Noles...With nine regular season games remaining, USA has already matched its total home run output from last season’s 58 games (43)…Fowler has reached safely in 19 consecutive games…H. Campbell’s ERA dropped to 0.98 on Wednesday…The junior lefty moved into a tie for first place all-time in combined shutouts, tying Beth Pilgrim’s four…Blair Johnson now has nine multiple-RBI games this year, the club’s second-best total…Messer now has seven multiple-hit games.
 
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).