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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 5 University of Alabama softball got a pair of timely hits from Haylie McCleney and Kaila Hunt and 11 strikeouts from pitcher Jaclyn Traina en route to a 3-0 victory over No. 21 University of South Alabama softball on Sunday at Rhoads Stadium, eliminating the Jaguars from the 2014 NCAA Tuscaloosa Softball Regional.
 
McCleney delivered a two-out, two-run triple in the top of the second inning to give the national two-seed a 2-0 lead, and Hunt added insurance in the top of the fifth with an RBI single down the left field line that scored Danielle Richard for the three-run lead.
 
The three runs were all Traina (22-3) needed in terms of support, as the right-hander recorded her first double-digit strikeout total since February, striking out five Jaguars looking and holding USA (42-14) to only a pair of hits. Eleven strikeouts tied for the second-most this season for South Alabama.
 
The Crimson Tide advances to host its NCAA-record 10^th-straight Super Regional next weekend, where it faces Nebraska, which defeated Missouri twice on Sunday to advance past the Columbia Regional.
 
Farish Beard took the loss for USA on Sunday, falling to 22-7 on the year after giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits, while striking out one to a walk in four innings. Hannah Campbell allowed only one hit in the three relief innings.
 
Chloe Rathburn and Emily Messer each recorded a hit apiece for USA on Sunday, a day during which the Jaguars had to defeat Alabama twice to advance to the Super Regional stage. South Alabama bounced back from an opening-round loss to USC Upstate on Friday by defeating SIU-Edwardsville and Upstate on Saturday for a spot in the final, marking USA's third trip to a regional championship in as many years.
 
""I am extremely proud of my kids," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "I can honestly say that they left everything on the field – there was no holding back. Our kids went after it 100 percent, even in front of a stadium full of people. They had the audacity to believe that they could come out and win two games. That is what you are supposed to do – you are supposed to step out on the field knowing that you can get it done. If you don't believe that you shouldn't be on the field. Our kids did that and I am proud of them for making that decision."
 
Each team left a pair of runners on in the first frame after Hunt was hit by a pitch and Jadyn Spencer reached on a fielding error by USA shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith, but Griffith made amends by throwing Molly Fichtner out at first to end the top half.
 
In the bottom half of the first frame, Blair Johnson reached on a fielder's choice, and Rathburn drew a two-out walk, both runners then advancing into scoring position on a passed ball. However, Alex Breeden went down swinging to signal a four-straight-strikeout span by Traina that ran through the second innings and ended with Messer's leadoff single, the first Jaguar hit of the day, in the bottom of the third.
 
Stephanie Pilkington's sacrifice bunt moved Messer to second, but the sophomore was left stranded after Johnson fouled out, and Moss went down swinging for a second time.
 
Rathburn led off the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle, and pinch-runner Gwen Jones made it to second on a Breeden ground out and to third on Griffith's fly out to center field, but the runner was left one third when Amanda Minahan watched strike three.
 
Richard reached second to lead off the fifth inning when she singled to Messer and Messer threw wide of Moss, making her way from second. Campbell entered the circle and retired two straight before Hunt's RBI single snuck through the left side of USA's infield.
 
Traina retired eight of USA's nine final batters in order to clinch the contest.
 
"She is tough," said Breeden. "She works and their program works so we knew that she would be a challenge. We felt like we were prepared for the challenge, but today she got the best of us. That doesn't mean that we weren't out there working hard and didn't give her a run for her money."
 
USA's 2014 club, led by seniors Campbell and Moss, set single-season program records in the following:
 

• Lowest ERA (1.29)
• Fewest Walks Allowed per Game (1.40)
• Most Strikeouts (416)
• Fewest Earned Run Allowed (70)
• Fewest Walks Allowed (76)

Clark led the program to its third-straight 40-win season, despite the program only concluding its eighth year of existence.
 
Campbell finishes her Jaguar career as the program's all-time leader in fewest walks allowed per seven innings (1.24), wins (83), saves (16), appearances (149), complete games (93), games finished (40), innings pitched (791.1) and strikeouts looking (180).
 
In a senior season hampered by an arm injury that kept her out for nearly four months, Moss batted .302 (13-for-43) with five runs and three RBI. She led the Jaguars at the 2014 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, going 6-for-15 (.400) with .400 slugging and on-base percentages.
 
Moss exits the program among the all-time top-10 in batting average (.301), slugging percentage (.452), hits (113), triples (5), home runs (11), RBI (65), total bases (170), sacrifice flies (5) and sacrifice hits (19).
 
"I'm extremely proud of our seniors and what they've done for this program," Clark said of the pair. "It kills me that I won't get to coach those kids again. It's been an amazing experience to coach those kids, not only because of what they've done on the field, but because they've 100-percent done it the right way – they've done it with class, and they've represented our program in a first-class manner."
 
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).