Becky Clark // Kaitlyn Griffith Postgame Interviews

SBC Tournament Central

SAN MARCOS, Texas – No. 23 University of South Alabama senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith drove in three runs and scored another, while right-hander Farish Beard held Louisiana-Monroe to only three hits on Thursday in the Jaguars' 6-2 win, which propels USA though the winners' bracket of the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
 
USA (36-10) faces No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette at 1 p.m. on Friday, with the winner moving on to the league tournament championship game, which is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. The loser of tomorrow's contest faces the winner of ULM and Georgia State to determine the second finals contender.
 
ULL defeated Georgia State, 10-2, in six innings on Thursday to advance in the bracket.
 
Links to live stats, live video streaming and ticket information can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
Griffith put USA ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the second when she lifted a solo home run to right center. The homer is her 13^th of the year, which extends the single-season record she set versus Troy last weekend. It was also the 28th of her career, which places her in a tie with former Jaguar standout Christin Crocker (2009-12) for the most in program history.
 
South Alabama tacked on five runs to go up, 6-0, through five complete innings, beginning with a three-spot in the bottom of the third, with all the runs coming with two outs on the board. Freshman second baseman Kristian Foster led off with a double to right center and was replaced by pinch-runner Kaleigh Todd, who later scored on senior left fielder Blair Johnson's base hit to shallow left center, doubling the Jaguar lead to 2-0.
 
Rathburn, who reached on a Warhawk fielding error before Johnson's hit, scored on a wild pitch from ULM starter Melanie Coyne to make it 3-0 Jaguars. USA sophomore center fielder Amanda Minahan then singled up the middle to plate Johnson and put USA ahead, 4-0.
 
The Jaguars tacked on two more in the bottom of the fifth on Griffith's two-out, two-run double down the left field line, which scored Todd and junior catcher Stephanie Pilkington after each drew walks.
 
Louisiana-Monroe answered with two in the top of the sixth by way of third baseman Vanessa Garcia's two-run shot that scored first baseman Alexis Cacioppo to cut USA's lead to four runs.
 
USA freshman right-hander Kalen McGill finished the contest off in the circle by forcing Garcia to ground into a game-ending double play.
 
Beard picked up the win to improve to 10-4 on the year after striking out eight batters to a career-high-tying seven batters, while allowing two runs (both earned) on three hits in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
 
Coyne (13-14) suffered the loss for ULM after giving up four runs (one earned) on as many hits with a walk in four innings. Reliever Paige Porter gave up two runs (both earned) on as many hits with three walks in two innings.
 
Griffith finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored to lead USA at the plate. Johnson was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Rathburn recorded one hit with a run, and Minahan got a hit with an RBI. Todd scored a pair of runs on the day.
 
Rathburn and Pilkington have now reached in a team-high 14 consecutive 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).