Box Score - South Alabama 8, Troy 0 (5 inn.).pdf
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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team score six runs in the first two innings and Devin Brown struck out 10 Wednesday night as the Jaguars defeated Troy, 8-0 in five innings at Jaguar Field.
South Alabama (20-12, 3-7 SBC) will head out on the road for a three-game Sun Belt series at Appalachian State. USA and App State will open up with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 1 (12 / 2 p.m. [CT]) and then close out the series on Sunday, April 2 with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. (CT).
After leaving 20 runners on base in their three-game series versus Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend, the Jaguar offense capitalized on scoring situations Tuesday night, stranding just four.
"I thought it was awesome," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said of her team's performance. "I'm happy they did that in front of such a great crowd. What a night to bust out and have an all-around great performance. It wasn't just one area it was all the way around. I thought we ran the bases well, played defense, Devin did a great job and our offense came alive, so I was happy to see that.
"I thought we had great at situational hitting and timely hitting; that's the fun part of the game. Sometimes you have to struggle a little bit to figure out who you are. We've been scuffling a little bit and trying to figure out who they are. They're competing and going hard, I'm proud of them for that effort."
The win snapped a four-game skid for the Jaguars.
Amanda Minahan recorded her seventh home run of the season and also registered a pair of sacrifice flies, while posting a career-high five RBI. MC Nichols and Kristian Foster were each 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run, while former drove in a run and the latter had a pair of RBI. Kaleigh Todd also had a hit and a walk and scored three times for the Jaguars.
Brown (10-6) posted her 12th complete game and her eighth shutout of the season. In her five innings of work, Brown allowed just two hits and struck out two batters each inning. Of her 70 pitches on the night, 55 were for strikes and the junior right-hander didn't issue a walk. The 10 strikeout performance was her sixth double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
Troy dropped its fifth-straight game and fell to 15-20 overall and 3-7 in the Sun Belt with the loss. Claire Graves (7-4) lasted just two innings, allowing six runs – five earned – on five hits and a walk. Madeline Porter and Katie Webb recorded the lone two Trojan hits.
After Brown retired the Trojans in order in the top half of the opening frame, South took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom half with an unearned run. Todd extended her reached base streak to 11 games and got aboard on a fielding error by Trojan third baseman Katie Webb. With runners at the corners after a fielder's choice by Foster, Minahan put USA on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly to left, bringing home Todd.
The Jaguars blew the game open in the home half of the second as they erupted for five runs on four hits to extend their lead out to 6-0. Savanna Mayo led off the inning with a solid single to left and moved around to third on a sac bunt by Aly Smith and a ground out. Todd then reached for the second time in as many bats on a five-pitch walk and stole second, placing runners at second and third.
Nichols and Foster then followed with RBI singles to make it 3-0 for South Alabama. With two outs, Minahan blasted a three-run home run deep over the wall in left. The senior outfielder was down 0-2 in the count, but battled back to work it full before clearing the bases. The home run was also the 24th of her career, tying her with former Jag Haley Hopkins (2009-12) for fourth on the all-time career list.
Troy tried to respond in the fourth as Porter doubled off the leftfield wall to start the inning, but Brown struck out the next two Trojan batters and got Erica Davis to fly out to left to end the frame.
USA scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to take an eight-run lead. Megan Harris and Todd each recorded an infield single to start things off. With one out, Foster drove in her second run of the night with a single through the left side of the infield, scoring Harris. Minahan then brought in Todd from third with a sacrifice fly to right for her fifth RBI of the game.
Brown pitched a scoreless seventh ending the contest with a strikeout of Carli Kayler.
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).
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear. All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub
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