Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – Fresh off its seventh straight win at Nicholls State on Wednesday, the No. 22 University of South Alabama softball team welcomes Chattanooga, Ball State, Sam Houston State and Jacksonville for the 2015 South Alabama Invitational at Jaguar Field in Mobile, Ala., this weekend.
 
USA (8-2) opens the event with a 6 p.m. contest on Friday versus the Mocs (6-4) and takes on the Cardinals and Bearkats at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, while closing out the tournament on Sunday against Jacksonville at 1:30 p.m.

Links to live stats and live video for USA's contest can be found by accessing the softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle @USAJagsSoftball.
 
This season marks the fourth South Alabama Invitational, at which the Jaguars will look to improve on a 5-7 all-time record, dating back to the inaugural edition of the event in 2009. USA most recently went 3-1 at the event in 2011, defeating Ohio State, Evansville and Southeastern Louisiana, with the lone loss coming to Chattanooga.
 
The Jaguars have reeled off seven straight victories since falling to 1-2 in their first three contests, with one-run losses to No. 3 Alabama and Eastern Kentucky bookending an 8-0, run-rule defeat of Liberty. Last weekend, USA went 4-0 at its own Mardi Gras Invitational with wins over Oklahoma State, Lipscomb, Butler and Evansville.
 
Junior center fielder Stephanie Pilkington currently leads USA at the plate with a .435 batting average and .658 on-base percentage after the Lake City, Fla., native drew a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch in the Jaguars' 7-2 win over Nicholls State, marking the 10^th time she's reached base in as many games this season. The junior has also drawn 14 walks thus far.
 
Sophomore Chloe Rathburn has supplied a team-leading 12 hits and 10 RBI this year and boasts a .581 slugging percentage, just shy of classmate Amanda Minahan's .586.
 
Freshmen Devin Brown and Kalen McGill have carried the load in the circle for USA this season, with senior Farish Beard on the shelf due to injury. Brown is 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 33 innings, while McGill is 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA, having allowed only one run (earned) in 15 innings pitched to this point.
 
Chattanooga (6-4) won its first four games this season and has since dropped four of its last six. The Mocs went 4-1 at the Plainsman Invitational on Feb. 6-8, defeating George Washington, Evansville, Appalachian State and UAB by combined scores of 25-5 before host Auburn handed them their first loss, 12-1.
 
Ball State won (5-4) three of its first four at the Belmont/Lipscomb Music City Classic in Nashville, Tenn., with victories over South Dakota, IUPUI and Lipscomb and a loss to Indiana State. Since, the Cardinals lost three of five with wins against Georgia State, Mercer and Eastern Illinois, while suffering run-rule defeats to Auburn and Winthrop.
 
Sam Houston State (4-7) lost each of its first six contests and has since won four of its last five, aided by a 4-1 showing at the Texas-Arlington Tournament, where the Bearkats defeated the host Mavericks, of the Sun Belt Conference, 6-4.
 
Jacksonville (5-6) most recently went 3-2 at its own Jacksonville University Invitational last weekend with a pair of overtime victories over Syracuse and a two-game split against Bethune-Cookman, with its second loss of the tournament coming to Akron.

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).