Box Score

2013 SBC Tournament Central

TROY, Ala. ­— She might look like Jane, but she sure plays like Tarzan.
 
Despite having not pitched competitively in over two weeks, Farish Beard, a sophomore right-hander with a million-dollar smile, was downright rude to the Mean Green of North Texas on Friday, pitching a two-hit, complete game shutout to the four-seed and leading No. 18/19 University of South Alabama softball to a 5-0 victory that guaranteed the second-seeded Jaguars a spot in the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday.
 
Fourteen days removed from an official appearance - her last was against Troy on April 24 when she threw the Trojans a no-hitter - Beard (21-0) struck out 10 of the 26 Mean Green batters she faced against four walks to eliminate North Texas, who fell to top-seeded Western Kentucky on Thursday.

"It felt really good to be back and throwing in the circel," Beard said. "The defense was awesome. I can always count on them to pick me up, and it's really great to have them behind me.

"Our team has worked all year for this, and we deserve to be here," the Fairhope, Ala., native continued. "This has been our goal the whole year."
 
Fellow sophomore Blair Johnson went 2-for-2 on the night with two runs scored, and both Haley Fagan and last night’s hero Britany Campbell carded a hit apiece, as USA (44-7) capitalized on a pair of fourth-inning North Texas errors to go up four runs before the Jags added an insurance tally in the fifth frame.
 
Western Kentucky and Louisiana at Lafayette, each with a loss against them, will square off at 9 a.m. on Saturday to decide which will face South Alabama in the tournament finale at 3 p.m. on the same day. The championship game will be televised live on ESPN3.com and CSS/CST.

USA will make its second consecutive appearance in the league championship, which it won last year in a 3-1 defeat of the Ragin’ Cajuns, ranked sixth in the nation at the time.
 
Despite giving up four walks in the affair, two to leadoff batters, Beard hit her spots when it was necessary, and she forced North Texas to chase her late-breaking rise ball on several occasions. Fanning 10 for the second consecutive game, Beard raised her career strikeouts per seven innings ratio to a program-leading 9.57, while lowering her career opponent batting clip to a meager .150, also tops in USA history.
 
Friday’s contest had all the makings of another pitcher’s duel, with Beard and UNT starter Ashley Kirk (15-10), both second-team  all-conference selections, dealing through the first two frames, until the Mean Green's Jordan Terry drew a two-out walk in the top of the third.
 
Lesley Hirsch followed Terry’s base-on-balls with a blasted single that Beard could not corral; however, Terry was thrown out trying for third in a flash of greed when Kaitlyn Griffith’s throw to first was too wide of Meghan Collins, but the USA first baseman recovered quickly enough to fire across the diamond to Fagan at third.
 
South Alabama, when offered its opportunity to capitalize on an opposing miscalculation, did take advantage, however, when Johnson scored on a fielding error by UNT’s shortstop in the bottom of the fourth after Alex Breeden sent a bouncer to the right side. A passed ball allowed Kaitlyn Griffith to cross home plate before Kirk’s wild pitch sent Collins across.
 
B. Campbell singled to drive home Breeden, giving USA a 4-0 lead, all via unearned runs.
 
An inning later, Fagan doubled down the left line to score Johnson, who got on with a single, to make extend the Jaguar advantage to five runs.
 
NOTES:
USA extended its current win streak to 15 games…USA is now 7-0 as the number-two seed and 10-8 all-time in SBC Tournament play… Combined with Hannah Campbell’s win over Troy on Wednesday and no-hitter against ULL on Thursday, USA has not allowed a run in 18 1/3 innings…Beard moved to second all-time in USA single-season wins with 21 on the year…Beard now has five double-digit strikeout outings on the year…South Alabama has outscored opponents, 11-1, in three tournament games, batting .203 and holding opponents to a 0.92 clip
 
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).