Game 1 Box Score - South Alabama 8, Louisiana-Monroe 5 (9 inn.).pdf
Game 2 Box Score - South Alabama 2, Louisiana-Monroe 1 (8 inn.).pdf

MONROE, La. – The University of South Alabama softball team picked up a pair of thrilling extra-inning wins Saturday afternoon to sweep Louisiana-Monroe 8-5 in nine innings in the opener and then 2-1 in eight innings in game two of the Sun Belt Conference doubleheader at Geo-Surfaces Field.

"The fight in this team has been great." South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said.  "We didn't have a midweek game this past week and it took us a little while to get started in the first game.  Once we got going, I thought our players did a great job.  We got some key hit from some players off the bench.

"In the second game, ULM's pitcher did a good job for them in the circle, but we were able to get it done when it counted and that's all that matters."

South Alabama (27-17, 9-12 SBC) will close out the series on Sunday against the Warhawks (28-20, 10-10 SBC) with first pitch set for noon.

GAME ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 8, LOUISIANA-MONROE 3 – (9 inn.)
South Alabama trailed by three runs heading into the seventh, but used a pair of three-run innings to rally back and take game one of the doubleheader 8-5 in nine innings over ULM.

Dayla Gulledge's pinch-hit three-run home run – her second of the season – in the seventh tied the contest up at 5-5 and Savanna Mayo and Megan Harris each came through with run-scoring base hits in the ninth to complete the comeback.

Kaleigh Todd and Harris each recorded two hits apiece, while four other Jags also registered a hit as well.  Amanda Minahan was 1-for-1 and was hit three times in the game, while scoring two times.  Coming into the contest, Minahan had been hit just four times.  Katelyn Gruich also posted her first home run of the season and scored three times for the Jaguars, while also being hit twice.  Combined, the two teams were hit by a pitch 10 times in the opener.

Destin Vicknair (12-9) went the distance and in her nine innings of work, the Reserve, La., native allowed five runs – three earned on seven hits, while walking three and striking out three.

Sydney McKay and Jayden Mount also had multi-hit efforts for the Warhawks with two hits apiece.  Mount also drove in two runs and scored once.  

Melanie Coyne fell to 16-11 this season with the loss.  In her nine innings in the circle, she allowed eight runs – seven earned – on eight hits, and struck out 12 Jaguar batters while walking just one.  She also hit five batters.

The Warhawks got on the board in the home half of the first as Mount took a 1-2 pitch from Vicknair and homered to center – her fifth of the season – to give ULM an early 1-0 advantage.  

South answered back the next half inning as Gruich blasted a solo shot of her own deep over the wall in left after being down 0-2 in the count to Coyne to tie the game back up at 1-1.  The home run was the first of the freshman first baseman's Jaguar career.

ULM answered the Jag run with one of it's on in the bottom of the second without the benefit of a hit.  Vicknair hit both Cheyanne Lyon and Coyne to begin the frame.  The two Warhawks were then sacrificed over and Lyon came home one batter later as she beat Foster's throw home on Brie Wrobel's fielder's choice, giving Louisiana-Monroe the 2-1 lead.

The Warhwaks added an unearned run in their next at-bat to extend their lead to 3-1.  Lyon reached on an error when Gruich was unable to snag a hard liner, scoring Hunter Hogan, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.

South Alabama cut the deficit to one (3-2) with a run in the top of the sixth as Harris scored on Foster's sacrifice fly to left.

ULM regained the momentum as it answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.  Coyne led off with a solo home run to left – her fourth of the season.  The Warhawks then loaded the bases after a pair of singles and another hit batter.  Mount plated ULM's second run of the inning and drove in her second run of the game as she lifted a sac fly of her own to left, bringing in Wrobel.  

Minahan and Gruich were both hit by pitch to place runners at first and second with one out in the seventh and USA looked as if it were going to miss out on a scoring opportunity as McKay made a diving grab in left to rob Mayo of an extra base hit.  Down to its final out, Gulledge came to the plate and belted a three-run pinch-hit home run to left – her second three-run pinch-hit homer in as many at-bats – to tie the contest back up at 5-5.

In the ninth, the Jags would score three runs on three hits and take to take an 8-5 lead.  Minahan singled to the right side of the infield and beat Warhawk first baseman Jessie Watts to the bag at first for an infield single to ignite the Jag offense.  Two batters later, Gruich was again hit by a pitch.  

After being robbed on an extra-base hit in her previous at-bat, Mayo delivered as she lined a two-run double to the left-center gap, scoring Minahan.  USA latter added a pair of insurance runs on Harris' RBI-single back up the middle scoring Gruich and Mayo to give South the three-run lead.

Vicknair pitched a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning to seal the win for her 14th complete game of the season.

GAME TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 2, LOUISIANA-MONROE 1 – (8 inn.)
In game two of the day, South Alabama once again rallied late to win in extra innings, defeating ULM 2-1 in eight innings.  With their second extra-inning win of the day, the Jaguars improved to 5-1 in games past regulation this spring.

Todd was again big at the plate as she was 3-for-4 – her team-best 19th multi-hit performance of the spring – with a run scored on her first career home run.

MC Nichols, Foster, Gulledge and Gruich also recorded a hit, while Foster drove in another run.  With a RBI in each game of the doubleheader on Saturday, Foster has now driven in at least one run in 12 of her last 15 games and 18 RBI total during that stretch.

Devin Brown (14-6) – who had missed the last two weekend series due to illness – returned to the circle and picked up right where she left off as she went the distance.  In her eight innings of work, the Jag right-hander allowed just one unearned run on six hits, while striking out nine and walking two.  It was her fifth-straight complete game and her 16th of the season.

Hogan (3-for-4) and McKay (2-for-4) combined to record five of the Warhawks' six hits.  Paige Porter took the loss and dropped to 6-5 on the spring.  In her eight innings of work, Porter allowed two runs on seven Jaguar hits, while striking out four.

The two clubs were scoreless through the first four-and-a-half innings, but the Warhawks were finally able to break the scoreless tie with an unearned run their half of the fifth.  With two away in the inning, Sami Billeaudeau recorded a pinch-hit double to left and then came home one batter latter.  McKay singled to center moving Billeaudeau to third.  Billeaudeau then scrambled home on the play as Minahan's throw home was high and went all the way to the backstop, allowing Billeaudeau to score.

South answered back with a run of its own in the sixth to tie the game back up at 1-1.  Nichols reached on a two-out chopper over Megan Shaw at third.  The Jag outfielder then came home as Foster delivered again, doubling to left.

ULM looked as if it were going to retake the lead in the home half of the sixth.  Hogan lined a ball to the gap in right-center that Harris chased down and caught, but the ball came loose when Harris crashed in to the wall, allowing Hogan to race around the bases for a triple.  With her back against the wall, Brown settled down and got Lyon to pop out to Foster at short.  After issuing a one-out walk to Coyne to place runners at the corners, Watts popped out in foul territory and was called out when Agamaite – who was in the on-deck area – was ruled to have interfered with Mayo's attempt to catch the ball as she didn't make an effort to get out of the way.  Brown then got Agamaite to fly out to left to end the inning and escape the jam and keep the game tied at 1-1.

With one out in the eighth, Todd flared a ball that dropped just inside the line in shallow left and out of reach of a diving McKay.  With the ball rolling all the way to the corner, Todd raced around the bases and slid home to put South Alabama up 2-1 – the first home run of the junior's career.   

The inside-the-park home run was the first by a Jaguar since Emily Messer did so against Georgia Southern on April 12, 2015.

In the eighth, Hogan singled to lead things off and then with one out, Coyne was intentionally walked to place runners at first and second.  With the tying run in scoring position and the winning run aboard, Brown was able to get Ana Hogan and Agamaite to strike out swinging for her eighth and ninth strikeouts to end the game.

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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