Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOBILE, Ala. – Jaguar sophomore Blair Johnson hit her second game-winning home run of the season on Saturday when she crushed a solo walk-off over the right field wall to give No. 23 University of South Alabama softball a 3-2 Sun Belt Conference series-opening victory over North Texas, spurring the hosts on to a 12-1, run-rule triumph in the follow-up contest.
 
After clinching its fifth league series in six cracks this season, USA (37-7, 13-3 SBC) will look to complete its third three-game sweep at 11 a.m. on Sunday; however, expected thunderstorms in the area could threaten play, which would leave the Jags with their second two-game sweep after game three versus Florida Atlantic was abandoned due to weather. Fans, stay tuned to USAJaguars.com for immediate updates on Sunday’s proceedings.
 
USA batted a combined .404 on the day to NT’s .205. The Jags outhit the Mean Green (18-19, 6-9 SBC), 19-9. Game two marked South Alabama’s 11^th victory by way of run-rule. USA has now forced the mercy rule on a league foe on four occasions.
 
Julie Moss led the Jags at the plate on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. She slugged 1.500 and recorded an on-base percentage of .833. After striking out twice to start the day, Haley Fagan finished 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. Johnson also batted 3-for-6 with an RBI and three runs scored. The walk-off was her fifth home run of the year, and she is currently riding a 10-game hit and reached-base streak.
 
Meghan Collins had two hits, including her team-leading 10th double, three runs scored and two RBI. Brittany Fowler had two hits and two RBI, with a hit in each game that extended her reached-base streak to 21 games. Britany Campbell hit a grand slam in the second game, giving her four RBI on the day.
 
The Jaguar pitching staff allowed only one earned run on Saturday in 12 total innings, translating to a 0.58 ERA. USA moved to 28-4 on the year when allowing its opponents two or fewer runs.
 
Hannah Campbell and Farish Beard each recorded their 17^th wins on Saturday, the former striking out eight and allowing two runs (unearned) off seven hits in game one and the latter fanning nine to no walks and allowing one run (earned) on only two hits in 4.1 innings in game two. Senior right-hander Jessica Dobson struck out one in 2/3 of an inning to close out game two.
 
South Alabama moved to 16-3 at home on Saturday. To date, USA is batting .326 in Mobile and outscoring visitors, 128-39. With Saturday’s three homers, the Jags have now hit 26 over the wall at home this season.
 
Game One - USA 3, North Texas 2
The hosts went up two runs in the second inning when Fowler delivered two-out, two-RBI single to center that scored Collins and Emily Messer, who walked and singled, respectively.
 
Neither team managed a score for the next three innings thanks to sublime pitching from USA’s H. Campbell and NT starter Ashley Kirk. The visitors left five runners stranded through the stretch until Bryana Wade’s sacrifice fly to right field scored one, and Karly Williams’s triple to the same side scored another, evening the scoreline at two-all.
 
After H. Campbell disallowed the Mean Green to add to its total in the top half of the seventh by retiring the side in order, Johnson took the second pitch she saw in the home half over the right field wall to give the hosts a 3-2 victory.

Johnson and Moss had two hits apiece in the opener, while Fagan, Fowler and Messer each added one.
 
Kirk took the loss for NT, falling to 8-7 on the year, after giving up all three runs (earned). Kirk struck out eight to four walks. Each team recorded seven hits in the contest, marking the 11^th occasion in 44 games that USA had not outhit its opponent.
 
“I didn’t think overall we played particularly well in that first game,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “We were a little bit flat, but we were able to hang on until we could get something where we could get the big hit like that. All season long we’ve been able to get the big hit. If you want to put the game in someone’s hands, Blair’s a good person’s to put it in. She’s such a great hitter, and she got a pitch to hit and did what good hitters do with it.
 
Game Two - USA 12, North Texas 1 (5 inn.)
Reeling off game one’s dramatic finish, the hosts exploded for nine hits and 11 runs in the first two innings of the second leg. Moss fired her sixth homer of the year to left center to give USA a 2-0 lead before freshman Clara Bowen, making her ninth start behind the plate, delivered her seventh RBI of the year in the form of a single to center that scored Fagan, who earlier got a base hit.
 
After Beard struck out her fourth batter of the day in the top of the second, Fowler and Johnson served up back-to-back one-out singles in the home half, prompting a change in the circle for the Mean Green, as starter Brittany Simmons was exchanged for Lauren Poole.
 
Already in a pinch, Poole made matters worse by walking Moss and loading the bags for Fagan, who singled up the middle to score two. After Griffith went down swinging, Collins belted a two-RBI single through the right side, making it 7-0 Jags.
 
Bowen and Messer each drew walks to load the bases again for USA, this time for B. Campbell, who unloaded on a 1-1 pitch for the grand slam.
 
Taylor Schoblocher homered to left center to give the visitors a brief snapshot of hope in the third, but three hits an inning later, including Messer’s RBI single, dashed the Mean Green momentum and extended the host advantage to 12-1.
 
After Beard struck out her ninth of the day, Clark called on Dobson to close the game out. The Indiana transfer forced a line out to Fowler, and then struck out Williams swinging to end the contest.
 
“[Johnson’s walk-off in game one] definitely picked us up because we were kind of flat that first game,” Clark said of game two. “I thought after that we got some energy about us and got some momentum. I thought the first win was huge to get us going.”
 
On what a three-game sweep would mean for her club, Clark said, “When you play this at this level you want to win every game. Obviously we’re fighting for the regular season title, and obviously that’s important to us. I don’t overanalyze that kind of stuff too much. We’re going to come out and do what we do – be aggressive, go after people, try to get some good pitching and defense and timely hitting.”
 
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).