Box Score LAFAYETTE, La. – After dropping game one, 6-2, No. 15 University of South Alabama softball defeated No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette, 8-4, in the night cap to even the Sun Belt Conference series at Lamson Park ahead of Sunday's rubber match, set for a 1 p.m. start.
USA (32-7, 9-3 SBC) entered the weekend 26-0 on the year when scoring first and took a two-run lead early in game one, but left 13 total runners stranded by the end of it, as ULL stormed back behind a four-run third inning.
Despite leaving nine runners on in game two, South Alabama manufactured early the runs it couldn't in game one and relied on Hannah Campbell's six-strikeout performance to see the game out.
The Jaguars outhit ULL in both games, tallying 19 total to 12 Ragin' Cajun hits. USA batted .328 on Saturday to ULL's .226 and recorded an overall on-base percentage of .459.
Stephanie Pilkington led the way at the plate for USA, going 4-for-8 (.500) with three RBI, a run scored, a .750 slugging percentage and .556 on-base percentage. Blair Johnson, Taylor Rodgers and Alex Breeden got three hits apiece, the trio combining for three RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Hannah Campbell (13-3) got the win in game two after striking out six to two walks and scattering four hits. She gave up all four runs, two of them earned. Farish Beard took the loss in game one, falling to 17-4 on the year after giving up six runs (all earned) on seven hits, while striking out one to as many walks.
Holly McKinnon threw two innings of shutout relief for Beard in game one, striking out two to one walk and giving up one hit.
The six runs in game one was the second-most USA has given up this year. Aside from a 15-9 win over Lehigh, USA had not allowed more than four runs in a game all season.
USA moved to 7-4 on the road after Saturday. With the win in game two, USA snapped a 14-game ULL win streak. The Jaguars are now 4-3 versus ranked opponents this season.
No. 15 USA 2, No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette 6USA took a 2-0 lead in game one after scoring a run apiece in the first two innings. Minahan and Johnson each drew one-out walks before ULL's Christina Hamilton hit Kaitlyn Griffith to load the bases for Amanda Herron. Herron drove a single up the middle to allow Minahan home for an early 1-0 Jaguar lead.
After reaching on a fielder's choice and moving to second on a Pilkington single, Emily Messer doubled USA's advantage to 2-0 when she crossed home plate on a ULL fielding error, Ragin' Cajun third baseman Samantha Walsh watching Minahan's grounder run right through her legs.
The hosts put up a four-spot to go ahead in the bottom of the third, all with two outs on the board. Beard got her first strikeout of the day to lead off the inning and forced a pop out before walking Natalie Fernandez and allowing a Haley Hayden double, which pushed Fernandez to third.
Fernandez cut the ULL deficit to one run on Lexie Elkins's infield single before Walsh erased her error with a three-run homer to left field, putting the Ragin' Cajuns ahead, 4-2 after three.
A pair of solo homers in the fourth and fifth innings from Shellie Landry and Hayden, respectively, marked the final 6-2 margin.
USA appeared to register a third run in the top of the fifth, when Pilkington's fly out to right field allowed pinch-runner Gwen Jones to tag up and cross home plate on the play, but Taylor Rodgers, who reached second before the play, was called out for not tagging up and the inning was called, no run going the Jaguars way.
Minahan and Johnson got on with consecutive singles to lead off the top of the sixth, but Hamilton retired three straight Jaguars to end the inning, before retiring USA in order in the top of the seventh to secure the host victory.
Hamilton moved to 14-1 with the win after striking out six to four walks, scattering 10 hits and allowing both runs (one earned).
No. 15 USA 8, No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette 4USA jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the opening frame, beginning with Johnson's RBI single that scored Pilkington, who drew a leadoff walk. ULL starting pitcher Jordan Wallace threw a wild pitch that allowed Minahan (hit by pitch) to score from third before Breeden supplied a sacrifice hit to center field that allowed Johnson to score.
The early lead was short-lived, however, after ULL knotted scoring a half-inning later.
After the leadoff, Fernandez, reached on an errant Messer throw from third, Hayden walked to set up a three-run Elkins homer to left center.
USA answered with a four-run top-of-the-third to take a 7-3 lead. Facing two outs, USA loaded the bases again before Messer drew a full-count walk to send runners around for a 4-3 lead. Pilkington then cleared the bags with a three-run double that snuck just under the outstretched glove of a diving Hayden in center field.
The Jaguars added their final run an inning later when Breeden singled to center field to allow Alyssa Linn, pinch-running for Chloe Rathburn, who singled to lead off, to score for an 8-3 margin.
Louisiana-Lafayette drew to within four runs in the bottom of the sixth when Shelbi Redfearn delivered an RBI singled down the left field line to score Meagan Thomas, pinch-running for Elkins after the latter reached on a USA fielding error, from second for the final 8-4 margin.
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).
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