MOBILE, Ala. – No. 23 University of South Alabama softball fell to 0-3 at its own 2016 Mardi Gras Invitational after falling to Samford, 8-5, and SIU-Edwardsville, 1-0, at Jaguar Field on Saturday.
 
USA (5-3) loses three games in a row for the first time since the 2012 season. The Jaguars will look for consolation against Southern Miss on Sunday when its faces the Golden Eagles at 2:30 p.m.
 
USA 5, Samford 8
Samford (4-4) took a 3-0 lead across the first four innings, beginning with Caroline Wilder's RBI ground-rule double to left field that scored Megan Dowdy. In the third, Caitlin Bice delivered an RBI groundout that plated Dowdy again to double the Bulldog advantage. An inning later, Madison Couch scored on a Jaguar throwing error to make it 3-0 to the visitors.
 
Emily Messer scored on a Bulldog throwing error in the bottom of the fourth to put the Jags on the board, before Haleigh Lane's sacrifice fly and Paige Holmes's RBI single knotted the score at 3-3.
 
Another Samford error allowed two USA runs to score, as the Jaguars took a 5-3 lead in same inning, but Lexi Higgins supplied a two-out grand slam to restore the Bulldog lead to 7-5.
 
Abbie Miranda hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth inning to give the Bulldogs an insurance run.
 
Miranda led Samford on 3-for-4 hitting with a run and RBI. Higgins recorded four RBI and a run on two hits. Dowdy scored twice.
 
Jessica Stone improved her record to 2-1 with the complete-game victory, scattering nine hits and allowing five runs (all unearned) with a walk and strikeout.
 
Tucker Caraway took the loss in her USA debut in the circle after allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits with a strikeout and three walks. Starter Destin Vicknair pitched three innings and allowed two runs (both earned) on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
 
Emily Messer, Kaleigh Todd and Alex Breeden each had a pair of hits, with Lane and Holmes providing an RBI apiece.
 
USA 0, SIU-Edwardsville 1
A pitcher's duel between USA's Devin Brown and SIUE's Baylee Douglass ended with the Cougars scratching a run across in the top of the seventh inning when Jordan LaFave, who'd struck out in each of her previous three at-bats, lifted a sacrifice fly to right center to score Talisa Morton.
 
Morton drew a leadoff walk in a pinch-hitting situation and moved two bases on passed balls.
 
Douglass improved to 2-1 after allowing only a pair of Jaguar hits – a season-low for USA – with three strikeouts and two walks.
 
Brown fell to 3-2 after allowing the run (unearned) on three Cougar hits with 11 strikeouts and four walks.

Messer and Todd had each of USA's only two hits.
 
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