Box Score

Game Highlights

Postgame Press Conference

LAFAYETTE, La. – Farish Beard recorded 13 strikeouts, and No. 22 University of South Alabama softball scored eight runs on seven hits, five of the scores coming on a pair of second-inning Louisiana-Monroe errors to win, 8-1, on Thursday and advance to fourth-round play at the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La.
 
Second-seeded USA (39-11) faces the winner of top-seed Louisiana-Lafayette and four-seed Western Kentucky on Friday at 2 p.m., with the winner of that game going on to the championship, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Beard finished just two strikeouts shy of her career high, logging 13 for the third time this season and first in her last 16 appearances. The junior of Fairhope, Ala., gave up just a pair of hits on the day, one an RBI chopper up the middle and the other: a bunt single. She walked only one Warhawk batter, as her record improved to 21-5 and her strikeout total eclipsed 200 – she now boasts 202.
 
Emily Messer was perfect in all her plate appearances on Thursday, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI and runs scored, as was Kaitlyn Griffith, who went 2-for-2 with two RBI, a run scored and hit by pitch.. Amanda Minahan was 2-for-2 with a run scored and a sacrifice bunt.
 
Amanda Herron, Alyssa Linn, Gwen Jones and Taylor Rodgers also scored a run apiece.
 
USA scored all its runs in the second and third innings, beginning with a five-spot in the former. Messer delivered her first RBI of the day when she singled to score Jones, pinch-running for Breeden, who led off with a walk, from third, after Minahan's sacrifice placed Jones and Herron on second and third, respectively, and Rodgers reached on a fielder's choice to load the bags.
 
Back-to-back ULM errors then gifted USA four more runs to push the lead to 5-0 after two complete, the first allowing Rodgers and Herron to score, and the second plating Griffith and Messer. A throw that missed home on Pilkington's fly out to left field resulted in the first mistake and a throw wide of first that allowed Blair Johnson to reach accounted for the second.
 
ULM pulled one back in the top of the third on back-to-back two-out singles from Miyuki Navarette and Rochele Roberts, the former scoring on the latter's hit.
 
Messer scored Linn from third with her second RBI single to make it 6-1 in the bottom of the third after Rodgers's sacrifice bunt moved both Linn and Minahan, who singled, into scoring position. Minahan and Messer were then brought around on Griffith's two-run double up the middle to extend USA's lead to seven runs.
 
Beard retired 12 of ULM's final 13 batters to seal the victory and send USA to the next round.
 
Warhawk starter Samantha Hamby took the loss for ULM after giving up five runs (one earned) on one hit in 1 2/3 innings, falling to 16-16 on the year. Relievers Melanie Coyne and Jessica Colliver gave up a combined three runs (all earned) on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
 
FOR THE RECORD:
Griffith took over the all-time USA lead in hit by pitch on Thursday, as the junior now has 48 in her career, breaking a tie with former Jaguar standout Brittany Fowler…The 28 she has drawn this year is a single-season record…Griffith is also one double away from tying Tara Donaldson's all-time single-season-high 15, set in 2007…Johnson has now reached nine time on an error this year, tied for second-most in USA single-season history…Beard leapt her single-season strikeout record, set in 2013, by one on Thursday, the junior now boasting 202 in 2014, fourth-most in USA single-season history
 
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).