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2013 Mobile Regional Tournament Central

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MOBILE, Ala. ­— Hannah Campbell retired all 18 Mississippi Valley State batters on Friday to record her fourth career no-hitter and first-ever perfect game, and No. 15 University of South Alabama softball squeezed 10 runs out of seven hits to shut out the Devilettes, 10-0, in six innings in the opening round of the 2013 Mobile Regional.
 
USA (46-7) capitalized on three MVSU errors and scored all its runs with two outs to advance into the winner’s bracket and stay perfect through its last 17 games. The top-seeded Jaguars will take on second-seed Florida State, who defeated Mississippi State on Friday, at 1 p.m. at Jaguar Field.
 
Mississippi Valley State will take on Mississippi State in an elimination contest set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. All games throughout the weekend can be viewed on ESPN3. Links to video, Live Stats, postgame interviews and ticket information can be found via the Tournament Central link listed above.
 
H. Campbell’s perfect game was the first in USA history. She struck out six on the night and extended her shutout streak to 24.1 innings, dating back to the Jaguars’ first game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament versus Troy on May 8.
 
“I thought about having the same approach I’ve had all year,” H. Campbell said of the feat. “I came in and didn’t pitch any different. I just played my game and that’s pretty much it.”
 
Blair Johnson led the hosts at the plate, driving in a single-game-career-high four runs on two hits including a three-RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth. Meghan Collins hit her first homer in 13 games, a three-run shot that fell high into the crowd over right field in the bottom of the sixth, serving as the game’s final play.
 
Kaitlyn Griffith and Emily Messer provided two runs apiece, while Brittany Fowler and Stephanie Pilkington scored once each.
 
Johnson drove in USA’s first run in the bottom of the third with an infield single that scored Messer, who sped to third on a Devilette throwing error to lead off the frame. An inning later, it was Messer who did the favor, driving home Collins with a single down the left field line.
 
Immediately following, Britany Campbell drew a hit-by-pitch and was followed by Fowler, who was dealt a walk on five pitches, setting the table for Johnson to crush a bases-clearing triple to left center on a 1-2 count to give the Jaguars half their final tally.
 
USA scored its next two runs on MVSU errors before Collins’s homer in the bottom of the sixth extended the scoreline to 10-0, decreeing the mercy rule.  
 
“It was a great way to get the tournament started,” commented USA head coach Becky Clark. “Anytime you go into something like this, you want to get off on the right foot. I thought we did that.
 
“We had great pitching and great defense. We got the timely hits today. Blair’s hit was huge to break the game open,” she added. “It was a great day for us, I loved the crowd and I want to thank Mobile for showing up. Having that energy and support behind us was great.”
 
Mississippi Valley State will take on Mississippi State in an elimination contest set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. All games throughout the weekend can be viewed on ESPN3. Links to video, Live Stats and ticket information can be found via the Tournament Central link listed above.
 
FLORIDA STATE CAPITALIZES ON FOUR BULLDOG ERRORS TO OPEN REGIONAL PLAY WITH 5-2 VICTORY
 
MOBILE, Ala. - Florida State capitalized on four Mississippi State errors and picked up a 5-2 victory Friday on the opening day of the NCAA Mobile Regional held at Jaguar Field on the University of South Alabama campus.
 
The Seminoles (42-16) got on the scoreboard first with a pair of unearned runs in the second inning. With one out in the inning, FSU center fielder Morgan Bullock - who was 2-for-3 at the plate - singled down the left field line and later advanced to second.
 
MSU starting pitcher Alison Owen looked as if she was going to get out of the inning as she struck out Celeste Gomez with a ball in the dirt, but that’s when things got interesting. Bulldog catcher Sam Lenahan thought the inning was over, but with first base unoccupied, Gomez sprinted down the line after the ball was rolled back to the circle. Owen, realizing the ball was still live, then threw high to first, allowing Bullock to score the first run of the game. With confusion on the field, and no Mississippi State player on the field, Gomez circled the bases to score the second run.
 
FSU added two more runs in the fourth when Gomez lifted a ball deep over the fence in left center, scoring Bullock. Florida State put one more unearned run on the scoreboard in the fifth on a RBI-single from Seminole shortstop Mattie O’Brien.
 
The Bulldogs finally broke into the scoring column in the top of the sixth on a pair of RBI singles from Logan Foulks and Briana Bell, but that was all that FSU’s Lacey Waldrop (23-8) would allow, as she surrendered just five hits and a walk, while striking out
11.
 
NOTES:
USA moves to 3-2 all-time in NCAA Regional play…Friday’s contest marked the second USA run-rule victory in five regional contests, as the Jaguars handed Georgia Tech a 10-1 loss in 2012 to eliminate the Jackets…South Alabama has run-ruled 16 opponents this season…Collins moved to third all-time in single-season walks, as she now has 30 on the year; she drew the 100^th of her career on Friday as well…Fowler moved into a tie with former Jag standout Christin Crocker for most games ever played at USA with 208 total…Johnson moved into a tie for sixth in all-time triples with four in her career…Griffith is now third all-time in hit by pitch with 20 lifetime...
 
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).