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2013 Mobile Regional Tournament Central

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MOBILE, Ala. ­— Farish Beard tied her career high in strikeouts on Saturday to give No. 15 University of South Alabama softball a vital boost of energy headed into tomorrow’s Mobile Regional Championship.
 
The Jaguars (47-8) defeated three-seed Mississippi State, 3-0, behind Beard’s 14-strikeout outing, in which she permitted only a single hit, her third career complete-game one-hitter. The sophomore from Fairhope, Ala., has recorded double-digit strikeout totals in her last three appearances.
 
After going 1-for-8 to start the tournament, USA’s Julie Moss delivered a vital RBI triple early on to put the Jags up two runs. She finished the night 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
 
The top-seeded Jaguars will now have to beat second-seeded Florida State twice on Sunday, after the Seminoles advanced to the finals by upsetting the hosts, 2-1, Saturday afternoon.
 
Game one is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Jaguar Field.  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.
 
After losing for the first time in 18 games, USA recovered by defeating Mississippi State for the second time this season. In the 2013 season opener, USA downed MSU, 3-2, at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, Miss.
 
USA moved its all-time regional record to 4-3 on the day and evened its series record with MSU to 2-2. The Jaguars will compete in their second NCAA Regional final for the second time in as many years
 
Remembering its late rally against the Seminoles just hours prior, USA hurried to reach the board in Saturday’s second game. Stephanie Pilkington, pinch-running for a walking Haley Fagan, scratched USA’s first run across in the top of the second after she reached from second on a MSU throwing error.
 
Moss first got on with a double to score Fowler, who walked. The junior right fielder was then plated on Kaitlyn Griffith’s subsequent bloop single to left field, making it 3-0 USA.
 
Beard retired 12 of the next 18 Bulldogs by strikeout, nine swinging, to end the affair. Her 14 ties her previous high, ranked second-best in USA history, which came in a 3-1 South Alabama win over Mercer in 2012.
 
The nation’s third-best in strikeouts per seven innings commented on her performance: “I felt really good tonight. I had some control issues at first, but I got that figured out and I felt really good.
 
“We’re very excited,” Beard added. “With our team, we all really work well together, and we lift each other up. I feel like FSU is going to have to play a good game tomorrow if they want to beat us.”
 
USA head coach Becky Clark will now take her team into its second consecutive NCAA Regional final. The Jaguars found themselves in a similar situation on Saturday to the one it did in 2012 at the Tuscaloosa Regional.
 
South Alabama dropped a game to Alabama before run-ruling the Jackets in the championship play-in, 10-1, and similarly, this year, Clark believes her team has the gravitas to withstand a blow and recover effectively.
 
“Our student-athletes showed a lot of guts tonight. We’ve won a lot of ball games. One loss isn’t going to get us down and end our season,” she explained. “I’m very proud of them for bouncing back and doing what they did. Last time we lost a game we went on a 17-game winning streak. Hopefully, we can come back and do the same thing.”
 
On how she feels her team will fare tomorrow with the next step, Super Regionals, on the line, Clark said, “It’s pretty cut and dry…we have to show up ready to play tomorrow…and we can’t take no for an answer.”
 
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).