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MOBILE, Ala. – No. 19 University of South Alabama softball's Stephanie Pilkington delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning of game three on Saturday to score Amanda Minahan from second and help the Jaguars clinch their Sun Belt Conference series over Georgia State after USA dropped game two just before at Jaguar Field.
 
 USA (34-9, 11-5 SBC) clinches its third SBC series this year and first in three league sets. The Jaguars will travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU on Wednesday before taking on Western Kentucky in its final full league series in Bowling Green next weekend.
 
A doubleheader versus Troy at Jaguar Field on May 3 rounds out the regular season.
 
The Jaguars were outhit, 5-4, by the Panthers in a 2-1 game two loss, which marked USA's first home loss all season; however, USA bounced back to take game three by a similar scoreline to move to 15-1 within the confines of Jaguar Field this year.
 
Chloe Rathburn, Alex Breeden, Blair Johnson and Pilkington each recorded two hits apiece on Saturday, while Kaitlyn Griffith posted a pair of RBI. Farish Beard was 1-1 on the day after taking the loss in game one in only 2/3 of an inning and winning game two behind four strikeouts.
 
Beard and Hannah Campbell held the Panthers (25-23, 8-7 SBC) to a mere .155 batting average on Saturday and .149 average throughout the series. The pair combined for 11 strikeouts to GSU's four and allowed only a pair of earned runs for a 0.67 weekend ERA.
 
Campbell allowed no runs and struck out seven to no walks in 11 1/3 innings this weekend.
 
Breeden led USA this weekend with a .400 average on 4-for-10 hitting. Amanda Minahan delivered four RBI after a three-RBI performance in game one. Johnson slugged .778 in the series and recorded a .500 on-base percentage.  
 
Game One – USA 1, Georgia State 2
 Georgia State scored two runs in the top of the first inning on a series of illegal pitches called on Beard. Leadoff Taylor Anderson drew a leadoff walk via the decisions, followed by three-hole hitter Lauren Coleman. USA head coach Becky Clark inserted Campbell with two outs in the inning, and the senior forced a groundout to end the top-half.
 
USA halved the deficit in the bottom of the second when Gwen Jones, pinch-running for Breeden, who led the frame off with a single to right center, scored from second on Kaitlyn Griffith's fly out to right field.
 
The Jaguars stranded three runners on in the remainder of the contest, including a pair in the bottom of the seventh after Griffith drew a leadoff walk and Pilkington singled.
 
Beard fell to 17-5 with the loss after giving up both runs (earned). Campbell struck out three to no walks in 6 1/3 innings of relief, allowing no runs and scattering five GSU hits.
 
Eron Milton evened her 6-6 record with the win for the Panthers after striking out none to three walks, allowing one run (earned) and scattering four Jaguar hits.
 
Game Two – USA 2, Georgia State 1
Both teams posted a run apiece in the sixth inning of game two, beginning with GSU's go-ahead in the top half, when Coleman, after drawing a two-out walk from Beard, scored on a USA fielding error by Griffith at shortstop.
 
Griffith erased her mishap in the bottom half when she delivered an RBI double to left field that scored Pilkington, who previously walked, to knot scoring at one-all.
 
USA moved to 5-0 in extra innings on the year in the bottom of the ninth when, with two runners on after Minahan walked and Emily Messer singled, Pilkington drove a two-out single to the gap in left center to bring the former home.
 
Beard struck out four to two walks in the contest and allowed only one run (unearned), while scattering four GSU hits to move to 18-5 on the year.
 
Kaitlyn Medlam took the loss for the Panthers, her second in the series, after giving up both USA runs (earned) and eight hits.  
 
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).