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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 21 University of South Alabama softball defeated SIU-Edwardsville and No. 24 USC Upstate on Saturday to climb out of the losers' bracket and into the 2014 NCAA Tuscaloosa Softball Regional final on Saturday, where the Jaguars must defeat No. 2 Alabama twice to advance to the Super Regional stage.
The final is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Rhoads Stadium and will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Live stats, ticket information and a link to play-by-play audio, provided free-of-charge by Braden Cheek as part of Jaguar All-Access, can be found by visiting the softball-specific schedule page.
"What a day – two great teams that we played that made us compete all day long," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "I am really proud of how our kids stepped up today. It was a big day for our program. The character and heart they showed while competing was huge."
USA (42-13) junior right-hander Farish Beard set a new career high in strikeouts in South Alabama's 5-1 win over SIUE (30-23), blowing past 16 Cougar batters and allowing only two hits. Senior lefty Hannah Campbell picked up her sixth shutout of the year in USA's 5-0 win over Upstate, which placed the Jags in their third regional final in as many years.
"Catching for them (Campbell and Beard) really is an honor," said USA junior catcher Alex Breeden. "During the regional selection show, they were referred to as a two-headed monster, and that is what they really are. They feed off of each other. Farish is mostly up and Hannah is mostly down. They did an amazing job. Beard had 16 strikeouts today, and then Campbell had to pitch against a team that beat her and came back with a shutout. I can't talk enough about them and how much they stepped up and were leaders for us today."
Amanda Herron and Chloe Rathburn each recorded three RBI on Saturday, while Kaitlyn Griffith scored three runs. Amanda Minahan was 3-for-5 (.600) on the day with a team-high .714 on-base percentage. Julie Moss was 3-for-8 with a pair of runs scored. Blair Johnson scored twice and delivered one RBI, while Emily Messer was 2-for-5 with two walks for a .571 on-base percentage.
South Alabama batted .309 on the day to its opponents' .152. The Jaguars outscored their opponents, 10-1, outhit them, 17-7, and outslugged them, .491 to .174, in addition to hitting three home runs. The USA pitching staff struck out 19 total batters in 14 innings and allowed only one run (earned).
No. 2 Alabama, hosting its 10
th consecutive regional tournament, advanced to the final by defeating SIU-Edwardsville, 13-3, on Friday and USC Upstate, 7-1, on Saturday. Because the tournament is double-elimination format, USA must defeat the Crimson Tide twice on Sunday.
USA 5, SIU-Edwardsville 1South Alabama went ahead, 1-0, in the top of the second on Minahan's RBI single to left field that scored Griffith who drew a one-out walk. The Jags tacked on four more runs in the sixth and seventh innings, scratching one across in the former on Herron's RBI double to the gap in left center, which allowed Griffith her second trip across home plate.
The Cougars cut USA's two-run lead in half in the bottom of the sixth when Rachel Coonrod singled to score Chelsea Yanolovich, who drew a leadoff walk in the frame.
Rathburn provided the Jags three insurance runs on a three-run bomb over left center in the top of the seventh, scoring Moss and Johnson to push the lead to 5-1.
Beard struck out the final three SIUE batters to seal the victory. The Fairhope, Ala., native struck out five straight Cougar batters in the second and third innings. She moved to 22-6 on the year with the win and improved her season strikeout total to a career-best 223. Beard is five strikeouts away from tying for the third-most in USA single-season history.
Haley Chambers (18-15) took the loss for SIU after giving up two runs (both earned) on five Jaguar hits, striking out four to five walks. Erin Greenwalt gave up three runs (all earned) on three hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Coonrod and Chambers had a hit apiece for the Cougars.
USA 5, USC Upstate 0The Jaguars gave Campbell all the run support she needed in the top of the fourth inning versus the Spartans, scoring all five of its runs in the single frame.
Johnson led off with a solo blast down the left field line, marking her fifth homer of the year. "It was a scoreless ball game, tight ball game and I was leadoff that inning," said Johnson. "I was just trying to get on base. I was not trying for a home run, but it worked, and I saw my pitch. That got the rally going that inning. My teammates fed off that."
A batter later, Upstate center fielder Shellie Robinson robbed Rathburn of a homer after Moss singled, but Robinson mishandled Breeden's single to left center, allowing Moss and Griffith to round home on the play and make it 3-0.
Herron then lifted a two-run shot over the left field wall to make it 5-0, also scoring Alyssa Linn, who pinch-ran for Breeden.
Campbell retired nine of the following 11 Spartan batters, before Upstate's Hayley Reinfeld and Cheyanne Griffin led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and single, respectively. Meredith Barnes, however, grounded into a double play, and Campbell forced Erin Schattle to foul out to Herron at first to end the game.
Campbell finished the night with three strikeouts to no walks and five hits allowed. She improved to 18-6 on the year, and her ERA shrank to 0.96.
Hannah Alexander took the loss for Upstate, falling to 9-2 on the year after giving up three runs (all earned) on four hits and walking one. Lexi Shubert gave up a pair of runs (both earned) on three hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Anna Miller threw two relief innings, giving up a pair of 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).
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