Box Score - South Alabama 2, Tennessee Tech 0.pdf
Box Score - South Alabama 7, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 0.pdf
Day One Photo Gallery
South Alabama Invitational Tournament Central

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team recorded a pair of shutout victories over Tennessee Tech and  Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in its doubleheader sweep Friday on the opening day of the South Alabama Invitational at Jaguar Field to extend USA's win-streak to six.

South Alabama (11-1) will take on Middle Tennessee (2 p.m.) and Stephen F. Austin (7 p.m.) on Saturday.

Live stats for every game of the South Alabama Invitational can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com, while both of the Jags' games on Saturday will be live streamed on JagNation TV.  Fans can purchase tickets Friday-Sunday and that ticket will cover all games played on that particular day.  Tournament seating is $15 for reserved seating and $10 for general admission.

MC Nichols and Kristian Foster each recorded four hits apiece in the two Jaguar wins, while Haleigh Lane also had three.  In 13 innings of work, Jaguar pitching allowed just two hits and one walk, while striking out 22.

GAME ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 2, TENNESSEE TECH 0
In the Jags' first game of the day, South Alabama picked up a 2-0 victory over Tennessee Tech and Devin Brown (5-1) recorded the fourth no-hitter of her career and the 16th in program history.

Brown set a season high with 15 strikeouts in her seven innings of work and of her 15 strikeouts, 13 were swinging.  Of her 80 pitches thrown, 63 were for strikes for a percentage of 79 percent.  Brown finished two strikeouts shy of tying a career high.

The Mobile, Ala., native set the tone straight out of the gate in the top of the first.  After throwing a ball to begin the frame, Brown tossed 11-straight strikes and struck out the side.

"I thought in the first game we got a good performance on the mound from Devin," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said.  "I thought the defense backed her up and made some great plays for her.  Offensively, we had 10 hits and it was weird, we just didn't didn't get the matchups we wanted; that's something we need to work on. I think we led off twice with a double and left her standing at two both times.  We didn't move her up, didn't score her or didn't bunt her over with no one out to get the big inning.  Overall, I thought we squared some balls up in that game, but there were things where we just didn't put things together."

South Alabama took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Savanna Mayo doubled to the gap in left, scoring Lane from third.  Lane had also doubled to left center right before Mayo.

The Jaguars doubled their lead with a run in the fourth.  With two outs in the inning, Aly Smith took Thomas' 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in left center.  The solo shot was the first of the freshman catcher's career.

The two runs would be all Brown would need as the junior right-hander continued her dominance in the circle.  

Brown took a perfect game into the top of the fifth, but TTU broke up the bid with one out as Kelly Kennedy reached on a dropped ball in right.  Brown wasn't shaken though as she struck out the final two batters of the inning and went on to retire the final eight batters of the contest.

South Alabama recorded 10 hits, but left six runners on.  Kaleigh Todd, Nichols and Foster each finished 2-for-3 at the plate with Nichols and Foster each recording a double.  As a team, South Alabama pounded out five extra-base hits.  The four doubles were one shy of tying a single-game record for USA.

Thomas took the loss and dropped to 0-4 on the season for Tennessee Tech.

GAME TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 7, TEXAS A&M - CORPUS CHRISTI
The offense got going early in the nightcap and Destin Vicknair was solid in the circle as the Jaguars earned their 11th win of the season with a 7-0 shutout of Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.

Vicknair improved to 6-0 on the year and allowed just two hits and one walk, while striking out a season-high six.  

Nichols, Foster and Lane each recorded two hits apiece, while Lane tied a career high with four RBI.  Lowe and Mayo also each drove in a run.

Liz Carter (2-3) took the loss as she allowed nine hits and seven runs in her six innings of work.  Of South Alabama's seven runs though, only one was earned.  

"In this last game, we had some good defense and Vickniar did a good job on the mound," Clark said.  "We put some things together and got a few more runs with about the same number of hits [as game one], but we were able to put more on the board. We did it in this game and didn't do it in the first game.  That was the big difference to me and swung the momentum a little bit.

"Haliegh Lowe and Haliegh Lane had some extra base hits, so it's great to see those lefties go the other way, wear that left center field gap out and seeing them run the bases the way they did."

South Alabama wasted little time getting on the board in the nightcap, erupting for four runs in the bottom of the first.  Nichols (single), Foster (error) and Lowe (walk) all reached to load the bases and with two outs in the inning, Lane delivered the big blow.  The sophomore doubled off the wall in left center to clear the bases and give the Jags the early lead.  Mayo then dropped in a single to center to score Lane from third and give USA a four-run advantage.  

The Jaguars added two more unearned runs in the next inning.  With one out, Nichols reached on an infield error and after moving to second on Foster's base hit to left, came around to score on back-to-back wild pitches by Islander starter Liz Carter.  Three batters later with Foster at third, Lane recorded her drove in her fourth run of the night as she reached on an infield single, which brought in Foster to extend South's advantage to 6-0.

USA got its final run of the evening in the bottom half of the sixth.  Foster singled through the left side of the infield and then came around to score on Lowe's RBI-triple to left, giving the Jags the 7-0 lead.

Chandler Sparkman came on in the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning for South Alabama.

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).

—USA—