MONROE, La. – No. 23 University of South Alabama softball senior pitcher Farish Beard threw a one-hitter in her first appearance since Feb. 7 to lead the Jaguars past Louisiana-Monroe, 2-0, in game two of a Sun Belt Conference series at ULM Softball Complex on Sunday.
 
USA (17-6, 2-3 SBC) dropped game one, 8-0, in six innings, suffering a run-rule defeat for the first time since Feb. 11, 2012.
 
Beard struck out 12 Warhawk (18-7, 4-1 SBC) batters in game two and dealt only a single walk, with Rochele Roberts's two-out single in the bottom of the sixth serving as the only blemish in the Fairhope, Ala., native's outing. The right-hander moved to 1-1 on the year with the victory.
 
"It felt really good to be back out there competing," Beard said. "Being on the field with my teammates was a great feeling that I've missed."
 
"She was lights out," USA head coach Becky Clark said of Beard's performance. "She did what we asked of her, which was to compete. She was dealing with some adverse field conditions, but she took what she had, and went on the field to compete and get people out."
 
Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith and junior center fielder Stephanie Pilkington each delivered solo homers to give Beard breathing room in game two, the former going deep in the top of the fourth frame, and the latter, the sixth.
 
Sophomore Amanda Minahan was the only Jaguar with multiple hits on Sunday, as she went 2-for-6 with a walk. Griffith was 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored. Pilkington had one hit, two walks and a run scored.
 
Game One – No. 23 South Alabama 0, Louisiana-Monroe 8 (6 inn.)
Pilkington was the only Jaguar to reach in the first three innings after drawing a two-out walk in the top of the first. Rochelle Roberts and Faith Bohack each recorded single in the first and second frames, respectively, before the Warhawks scratched across a pair of runs apiece over the final four innings of the shortened contest.
 
Sidney Coy dealt the initial damage in the bottom of the third, leading off with a single, stealing second and advancing to third on pitcher Melanie Coyne's sacrifice bunt. Roberts plated Coy with an RBI single through the left side for ULM's first run.
 
Roberts then stole second and scored on Alexis Cacioppo's RBI single, which doubled the Warhawk advantage to 2-0 after three complete.
 
Minahan singled to lead off the top of the fourth inning, but she and Pilkington were called out a play later after the latter lined one to Bohack at short, who flipped back to first for a double play.
 
Coy got things started again for ULM in the bottom of the fourth when she supplied a two-out single through the left side and then scored on a Jaguar error after a throw to second during a stolen base sequence got away from USA freshman second baseman Kaleigh Todd and was fumbled by Pilkington in center field.
 
After Jaguar starter Kalen McGill was replaced by senior Kaleigh Floore, the Warhawks tacked on a fourth unanswered run by scoring on a bases-loaded wild pitch.
 
Jaguar senior first baseman Amanda Herron was merely feet from putting USA on the boars in the top of the fifth when her two-out double to center field hit midway up the wall. She was left stranded after Todd's fly out to left field.
 
Coyne drove in a pair of Warhawk runs in the bottom of the fifth with a single that scored Cheyanne Lyon and Dupuis to make it 6-0 ULM. Dupuis pinch ran for Amye Barre, who was dealt a leadoff walk, while Lyon also walked.
 
A pair of bases-loaded hit by pitches served as the final two run in the contest, after the Warhawks loaded the bases with a pair of leadoff singles and a walk.
 
Roberts went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI for ULM. Coy and Coyne also recorded two hits apiece and combined for three runs scored and a pair of RBI.
 
McGill suffered the first loss of her career, falling to 7-1 on the year after giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out three to one walk. Floore gave up four runs (all earned) on three hits with as many walks and hit by pitches.
 
Coyne improved to 5-3 on the year with the win for Louisiana-Monroe after scattering a pair of hits and striking out one to three walks.
 
Game Two – No. 23 South Alabama 2, Louisiana-Monroe 0
Beard retired nine fo the first 11 batters she faced in the second game before the Jaguars went ahead, 1-0, in the top of the fourth on Griffith's two-out, solo homer to left center. It was Griffith's team-leading fourth home run of the year and her second in three games, after she last went yard versus No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette in USA's 8-5 series-finale win last Sunday.
 
It was Griffith's 18^th career bomb, which ties her for the fourth-most in Jaguar history with former standout Jenny Stevens.
 
ULM threatened to even scoring in the bottom of the fourth when Warhawk Miyuki Navarette drew a leadoff walk and stole second, but the 2015 Preseason all-SBC second baseman was caught stealing at third by Jaguar sophomore catcher Chloe Rathburn.
 
Pilkington doubled USA's advantage in the top of the sixth with a leadoff solo homer to right center, and the Jaguars threatened to pile on more, but Todd went down swinging with the bases loaded after Rathburn singled and both Griffith and freshman Kristian Foster both drew walks.
 
South Alabama takes a break from league action this Wednesday when it hosts Conference USA opponent Southern Miss. First pitch at Jaguar Field is schedule for 6 p.m.
 
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).