ATLANTA, Ga. – No. 24 University of South Alabama softball swept a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader versus Georgia State on Saturday at Bob E. Heck Softball Complex in a two-game set which featured 47 combined hits for a total of 39 runs, including 13 homers.
 
USA (23-7, 7-3 SBC) came back from a 5-1 deficit to take game one, 8-7, and tallied six homers – second-most in South Alabama single-game history – in game two en route to a 13-11 victory. The Jaguars have now claimed two league series in a row after they swept Appalachian State in Mobile last weekend.
 
The series finale between South Alabama and Georgia State takes place at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday. Links to live stats and play-by-play audio, provided free-of-charge as part of Jaguar All-Access, can be found by accessing the softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
South Alabama combined for 21 runs on 25 hits on Saturday, including seven home runs, eight doubles and walks and 54 total bases. The Jags slugged .794 and recorded a .449 overall on-base percentage.
 
All USA starters recorded multiple hits on Saturday, except for Haleigh Lowe, but the freshman drew a pair of walks and two hit by pitches.
 
The Jaguars tallied five doubles in game two, which ties the school record and marks the first contest in which a USA club has done so since the 2012 season. The 13 RBI and 36 total bases in game two are both season-highs.
 
Jaguar freshman second baseman Kaleigh Todd was 4-for-7 on Saturday with a pair of walks and three runs scored, including a team-high .667 on-base percentage, while junior center fielder Stephanie Pilkington scored five runs and sophomores Amanda Minahan and Chloe Rathburn recorded five RBI apiece.
 
Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith hit three home runs on Saturday, including a pair in game two, which ties the school record for bombs in a game and marks the second time she's accomplished the feat this year.
 
Freshman right-hander Kalen McGill earned both wins on Saturday after limiting the Panthers to three runs (all earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts and a walk in eight total innings. Classmate Devin Brown started both games. Senior Kaleigh Floore pitched three innings of relief in game two and allowed only two earned runs on five hits with a strikeout.
 
USA dealt Georgia State (23-9, 5-3 SBC) its first series defeat after the Panthers swept Troy in three games and took two of three from Texas State earlier this month. The pair of losses on Saturday were also the first for GSU at home this season.
 
GAME ONE – No. 24 South Alabama 8, Georgia State 7
Georgia State went ahead, 3-0, in the first on right fielder Megan Litumbe's RBI single to right field and first baseman Lauren Coleman's two-run base hit up the middle. Taylor Anderson, who was hit by a pitch to lead off, scored the first run, while Callie Alford, who reached on a fielder's choice, and Ivie Drake, who drew a walk, scored the second and third, respectively.
 
The Jaguars answered with a run in the top of the second to make it 3-1 on Griffith's solo homer to straightaway center, but GSU tacked on two more to go ahead, 5-1, in the bottom half on back-to-back solo bombs by Ashley Christy and Drake.
 
South Alabama then reeled off six unanswered runs take a 7-5 lead over the next four frames, beginning with a three-run third inning. After back-to-back leadoff hits from Todd and junior third baseman Emily Messer, Minahan ripped a base hit of her own to plate the former, which cut USA's deficit to three runs at 5-2.
 
Pilkington supplied a fourth consecutive single to score Messer before Lowe was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to allow Pilkington around to cut GSU's lead to a run, 5-4.
 
Rathburn delivered a two-run double to right center to score Minahan and Pilkington after the former reached on a fielder's choice and the latter singled, to give USA a 6-5 lead in the fourth inning. Senior left fielder Blair Johnson doubled to left center to score Pilkington, who reached on a Panther fielding error, in the top of the sixth, which extended USA's lead to 7-5.
 
Georgia State tied the contest, 7-7, in the bottom of the sixth on Drake's second homer of the game, which also scored Christy, who got on with a two-out single up the middle.
 
Minahan provided a game-winning two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh, scoring Todd from second after the latter reached on a Panther error.
 
Todd finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the contest, while Pilkington was 2-for-4 with a walk and a career-high three runs scored. Minahan was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run, and Rathburn supplied two RBI.
 
Brown gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks with one strikeout in a pair of starting innings. McGill limited the Panthers to two runs (both earned) on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and a walk in the final five frames.
 
Eron Milton took the loss for GSU after giving up four runs (two earned) on seven Jaguar hits with two strikeouts and walks in five innings pitched. Taylor Thorpe got the start for GSU and was chased after two innings after giving up four runs (all earned) on five hits with a walk and strikeout.
 
GAME TWO – No. 24 South Alabama 13, Georgia State 11
South Alabama went ahead, 2-0, in the top of the first inning of game two on Minahan's two-run blast down the left field line, which plated Todd, who drew a leadoff walk, but Brown ran into trouble in the bottom half, giving up five runs on three hits, as GSU answered to go ahead, 5-2, after one complete.
 
A Christy single and a pair of walks dealt to Drake and Alford loaded the bases for Litumbe, who grounded out to second for an RBI. Coleman then doubled to left field for two more runs, before Mandy Blackwell homered for another two scores.
 
Griffith led off the top of the second with a moon shot to left center, as USA scratched back to a 5-3 deficit, but GSU tacked on a pair in the bottom half on Drake's third homer of the day, a two-run shot that followed Anderson's leadoff double to center field.
 
The Jaguars scored two in the top of the third to climb back to a 7-5 deficit when Rathburn and Griffith both supplied solo homers to left field, before USA tacked on five to go ahead, 10-7, in the top of the fourth inning.
 
USA senior first baseman Amanda Herron led off with a double to right center and was replaced by pinch-runner Alyssa Linn, who then came around on Minahan's double to left center. Pilkington then homered to right field, as USA took an 8-7 lead. After a Rathburn walk, Johnson lifted a two-out, two-run bomb to center field.
 
GSU answered with a three-run, game-tying bottom-of-the-fourth, beginning with Christy's solo homer to center field. Alford then singled to score Drake, who tripled, to pull the Panthers to within one. Alford then scored on a Jaguar throwing error, which knotted scoring, 10-10.
 
A scoreless fifth inning preceded USA's three-run outing in the top of the sixth, which began with Rathburn's two-run double to right center that scored Minahan (reached on fielder's choice) and Pilkington (double). Johnson then plated Rathburn with a double up the middle for a 13-10 USA lead.
 
Alford led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer to left field to bring GSU to within two, 13-11, but McGill retired three straight to stifle a rally chance.
 
Anderson singled with one out on the board to put runners on the corners after Kensey Caldwell's leadoff base hit, but Messer snagged Christy's liner destined for shallow left and caught pinch-runner Cassidy Faulk short of third base on her return for a game-ending double play.
 
Minahan and Rathburn each recorded a pair of hits and three RBI apiece to lead South Alabama, while Johnson supplied three RBI and both Griffith and Pilkington tallied two RBI and run scored each. Todd was 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored.
 
McGill claimed her second win of the day after limiting the Panthers to a single run (earned) on four hits with two strikeouts in the final three frames. Brown gave up seven runs (all earned) on five hits with three walks and a strikeout in the opening inning. Floore gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits with a strikeout in three relief innings.
 
Milton took her second loss on the day after giving up four runs (all earned) on as many hits in 1 2/3 innings. Katie Worley gave up five runs (all earned) on as many hits with two walks and a strikeout in the opening 2 2/3 innings. Thorpe gave up four runs (all earned) on three hits with a walk in one relief frame, while Chelsea Stanfield pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings in relief, giving up one hit with two walks and three strikeouts.
 
Johnson moved into second place in career doubles at USA on Saturday, as the senior now has 37 in her career. The Kimberly, Ala., native also moved to third place in career RBI with the 109^th of her career in game two, which served as USA's final blow in the contest.

Rathburn has now reached safely in 17 straight games, hitting safely in the last eight. Minahan and LOwe have eached safely reached in their previous seven contests.
 
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).