2015 NCAA Auburn Regional Tournament Central

AUBURN, Ala. – After falling, 1-0, in a pitchers' duel to No. 4 Auburn in the winners' bracket game on Saturday afternoon, No. 22 University of South Alabama softball scored eight unanswered runs to upend Tennessee Tech, 9-3, in the nightcap to earn a rematch versus the host Tigers on Sunday in the 2015 NCAA Auburn Regional finale.
 
USA (40-12), which will take part in its fourth straight regional final in as many appearances at the postseason event, must defeat Auburn (51-9) twice on Sunday. Game one is scheduled for noon with the if-necessary game two following immediately.
 
Links to live stats and live video, broadcast by ESPN3, can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
After reeling off 11 runs on 14 hits in an 11-1, run-rule victory over Chattanooga in game one on Friday, the Jaguars were limited to only one hit by Tiger right-hander Marcy Harper (12-4) on Saturday. Harper escaped a few jams in the win, leaving Jaguar freshman second baseman Kaleigh Todd stranded on third in the top of the first and sixth innings..
 
Former Jaguar Haley Fagan supplied a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to provide the Tigers their winning margin.
 
South Alabama went down, 3-1, in the first two innings against Tennessee Tech before scoring eight runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames. USA sophomore center fielder Amanda Minahan lifted a solo home run to left center to pull the Jags within a run in the fourth inning and delivered a bases-clearing, three-run triple – her second of the regional – to give South Alabama its winning margin, finishing with a career-high four RBI.
 
The game was delayed twice for a total of nearly an hour.
 
"I'm really proud of our kids for coming back in the second game," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "It was a really long game. We had a tough loss against Auburn earlier in the day. That was a tough game but a really well-played game. For the team to come back to get the win and give us a chance tomorrow is huge on their part. It was a great effort.
 
"[The Auburn game] was a great game," Clark continued. "It came down to one hit. They got the big hit, and we didn't. I think that was the big thing. Tomorrow we come back. Tomorrow is a new day. We have to grind out at bats. I told the kids, 'Let's do something special tomorrow and play ball."
 
No. 22 South Alabama 0, No. 4 Auburn 1
Jaguar junior third baseman Emily Messer drew a leadoff walk and was subsequently thrown out at second a fielder's choice off the bat of Todd. The freshman stole second before junior catcher Stephanie Pilkington recorded USA's only hit of the game, an infield single to Fagan at short.
 
Todd moved to third on a fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore designated player Chloe Rathburn that saw Pilkington eliminated at second in the top of the first inning. Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith grounded out to short to end the Jaguar threat.
 
Each team managed only a walk apiece from that point until Tiger second baseman Emily Carosone broke up Jaguar freshman Devin Brown's no-hitter to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Each team stranded a runner in the bottom of the fourth and top of the fifth before Fagan stroked a one-out pitch to left field to put Auburn ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Todd drew a leadoff walk a half-inning later, moving to second on Pilkington's sacrifice bunt and third on Rathburn's fly out to center field, but the Bessemer, Ala., native was left stranded 60 feet from home again when Griffith fouled out to Tiger catcher Carlee Wallace.
 
USA senior left fielder Blair Johnson drew a one-out walk in the top of the seventh, but a fly out and line out ended the contest.
 
Auburn outhit the Jags, 2-1, and erred once. The Jaguars were held to their lowest hit total all season. Auburn improved to 4-1 all-time versus USA, having now won the past two meetings between the teams.
 
Harper improved to 12-4 after striking out three to four walks in the complete-game victory.
 
Brown suffered the loss, falling to 11-5 after throwing 4 1/3 innings and allowing one run off two hits and striking out three to a pair of walks. Jaguar freshman right-hander Kalen McGill threw 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief, allowing only a walk in the span.
 
No. 22 South Alabama 9, Tennessee Tech 3
USA jumped ahead, 1-0, in the top of the first inning versus Tennessee Tech (33-28) when Messer scored on an illegal Taylor Ketchum pitch after drawing a leadoff walk, stealing second and moving to third on Todd's groundout to second.
 
Tennessee Tech answered with a tying run in the bottom half of the first, second baseman Hannah Eldridge plating shortstop Sabrie Neeb with an RBI single.
 
The Golden Eagles scratched two more across to go ahead, 3-1, in the bottom of the second when Olivia Bennett led off with a solo home run to left field, and Need scored third baseman Courtney Fry with a single up the middle.
 
Minahan belted her sixth home run of the year to left center with one out in the top of the fourth inning to cut Tennessee Tech's lead to a run, 3-2, and Jaguar freshman Haleigh Lowe tied the game, 3-3, by scoring Johnson with a single to left field.
 
After one of two rain delays in the top of the fifth, Todd scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, which put USA up, 4-3. Johnson delivered a one-out, RBI single after the second rain delay to score senior Gwen Jones and give the Jags a 5-3 lead.
 
Minahan was responsible for all four Jaguar runs in the top of the sixth, supplying a two-out, three-run triple, her team-leading fourth of the year, to score Messer, Todd and Rathburn, pushing USA's lead to 8-3. Minahan then scored on Danielle Liberatore's wild pitch for a six-run Jaguar advantage.
 
Brown, who pitched 5 1/3 innings of relief for McGill, retired the Golden Eagles in order in the sixth and seventh innings to earn the win, moving to 12-5 after striking out 10 of the 17 batters with no walks and only one hit allowed. McGill gave up three runs (all earned) on five hits with a strikeout in 1 2/3 starting frames.
 
Ketchum, who tossed three wild pitches on the night, fell to 1-2 with the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) on four hits with two strikeouts and six walks. Liberatore gave up four runs (all earned) on three hits with as many strikeouts and walks.
 
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).