MOBILE, Ala. – No. 21 University of South Alabama softball freshman Kristian Foster drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning to allow senior left fielder Blair Johnson to score and give the Jaguars a 7-6 victory in a weather-delayed game two on Saturday night at Jaguar Field.
 
North Dakota State's (37-9) Alex Sobrero tied the game, 6-6, with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh. USA (33-9) went down in order in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. NDSU went down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth before Johnson led off the bottom half with a double.
 
USA freshman Haleigh Lowe singled and junior third baseman Emily Messer, who led the Jags on the night with three hits, was dealt an intentional walk to load the bags for Foster, who came in as a pinch hitter to walk in the game-winning run.
 
Farish Beard (9-3) picked up the win in 5 2/3 relief innings, allowing a pair of runs (both earned) on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk. NDSU's Krista Menke (27-4) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) on seven Jaguar hits with five strikeouts and seven walks.
 
"It was another closely-played game," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "North Dakota State did a great job, and Menke played well. She battled the entire game. Our kids did a great job of continuing to fight after they got the [game-tying] home run, and I'm really proud of them."
 
 Messer finished 3-for-4 on the night with two runs scored and a walk. Johnson was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Sophomore designated player Chloe Rathburn was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith batted 1-for-2 with a run and RBI and two walks. Senior first baseman Amanda Herron recorded one RBI and walked twice. Sophomore Amanda Minahan scored a run on one hit.
 
USA freshman right-hander Kalen McGill got the start and was chased after an inning after allowing three runs (all earned) on four hits, as NDSU went up 3-0 in the opening frame. Classmate Devin Brown went 1 1/3 and allowed a run (earned) on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
 
South Alabama answered with two runs in the bottom of the first when Rathburn and Herron each drew bases-loaded walks.
 
The Jags scratched one more across in the bottom of the second to tie, 3-3, on Griffith's RBI single through the left side that scored Messer, who got on with a one-out infield single.
 
Bison shortstop Logan Moreland homered to right field to put NDSU up, 4-3, in the top of the third.
 
After Griffith's one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth, Rathburn homered to left field to put the Jags ahead, 5-4, before Johnson drove in Minahan with a single to right field to make it 6-4.
 
The Jaguars travel to Troy for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series on May 2-3.

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).