MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team used timely hitting Saturday afternoon and picked up a doubleheader sweep of Georgia Southern at Jaguar Field, winning game one 7-0 and game two 6-2.
"I thought it was a pretty complete day for us all around," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said. "I thought we got good pitching, played good defense and had timely hitting. The one adjustment I wanted to see us make after game one was to play a little more team softball and move some runners and manufacture some runs, and we were better at that in the second game.
"We have to keep playing fundamental and team softball, but this was a big day for us. You want to be playing well at this time of year and we're getting production from a lot of different people. With Devin [Brown] and [Destin] Vicknair, you have two No. 1's and to have that depth in the circle is huge, as well as the production we are getting off of our bench right now."
South Alabama (30-18, 12-12 SBC) will close out the three-game series against Georgia Southern (24-24, 12-11 SBC) on Sunday and prior to the series finale, the Jaguars will honor their two seniors – Amanda Minahan and Destin Vicknair – prior to Sunday's first pitch.
Game three of the series had originally been scheduled for a noon first pitch, but due to expected inclement weather in the afternoon, the two programs have decided to move the start time up to 11 a.m.
With the doubleheader sweep, USA has now won six-straight Sun Belt outings dating back to game three of the Texas-Arlington series back on April 15.
Prior to game one of the doubleheader, the hitting and pitching facility located down the left field line was named the Farish Beard Hitting Facility.
GAME ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 7, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 0
The Jaguars used a six-run sixth inning to break open a one-run game and take game one of the doubleheader, 7-0.
Devin Brown improved to 15-6 on the season with her two-hitter. In her seven innings in the circle, Brown struck out six and walked just two, while not allowing a GS runner past second.
South Alabama had six players record at least one hit with Haleigh Lowe leading the way with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate and a run scored off the bench. Kaleigh Todd, MC Nichols, Katelyn Gruich, Dayla Gulledge each recorded a hit and scored a run. Gulledge, Minahan and Aly Smith also walked twice and Gruich drove in three with a three-run home run in the sixth.
Dixie Rayley took the loss for Georgia Southern, dropping to 13-16 on the season. In her 5.1 innings of work, Rayley allowed four runs on three hits, struck out 10, but walked eight.
South Alabama broke through with a run in the bottom half the second. USA loaded the bases with one out after three-straight walks from Raley. With the bags full, Harris singled through the left side of the infield off of GS shortstop Aleisha Mann's glove, plating Gulledge to give the Jaguars a 1-0 lead. South threatened to add to their lead, but Raley was able to get Todd to line out to third and pinch-hitter Haleigh Lane to strike out swinging to end the inning.
After stranding eight runners through the first five innings, the Jaguars finally capitalized in the home half of the sixth, plating six runs on five hits, while sending 11 batters to the plate.
Lowe began the inning with a pinch-hit single to left and then after being down 0-2 in the count, Smith worked the count full and used a 12-pitch at-bat to walk. With one away, Todd walked to load the base a bring Nichols to the plate. Lowe came home during the Nichols' at-bat as relief pitcher Heather Felt was called for an illegal pitch. The Jag leftfielder then singled to center to score Smith from third.
Minahan then walked to load the bases for the second time in the inning and Felt was then called for her second illegal pitch allowing Todd to come home.
The big blow of the inning came one batter later as Gruich took a 3-1 pitch from Amanda Chambers – GS's third pitcher of the inning – over the wall in center for her third home run of the spring – this one a three-run shot to make it 7-0.
Holding the seven-run lead, Brown came in and retired the Eagles in order to pick up her 17-th complete game and 10th-shutout.
GAME TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 6, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 2
South jumped on top with a three-run first in the second game of the day and never really looked back en route to the 6-2 win.
Four Jaguars posted multi-hit performances in the win led by Todd's 3-for-4 showing. The Jag second baseman now has a team[best 20 multi-hit games this season, while she also drove in two and scored a run. Lowe, Minahan and Savanna Mayo also had two hits apiece, while Minahan scored twice and drove in one. Lowe and Mayo also scored once, while the latter had a RBI.
Vicknair improved to 13-10 on the year and went the distance for her 15th complete game of the year. In her seven innings in the circle, the senior allowed just two runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking just one.
Meredith McLendon paced the Eagles at the plate with two hits – both doubles – in her three plate appearances and scored twice.
Kierra Camp fell to 8-8 on the season as she took the loss after allowing six runs – four earned – on 10 hits in six innings of work.
The Eagles threatened to get on the board in the top half of the first, loading the bases with two outs, but Vicknair was able to get out of the jam as she got Abby Broome to ground out to Mayo at third to end the inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, South Alabama wasted little time taking the lead as the Jaguars recorded three runs – one earned – on three hits. Todd led off the inning with an infield single to short and stole second for her 18th swipe of the season. Lowe then put runners at the corners as she got aboard on an Eagle fielding error. USA then plated its first run of the inning on a RBI ground out by Kristian Foster.
Minahan then followed with a triple to the gap in right center, scoring Lowe all the way from first to give South a 2-0 advantage. The triple was Minahan's second of the season and 10th of her career, moving her into a three-way tie with former Jags Emily Messer (2013-16) and Brittany Fowler (2010-13) for the program's all-time mark.
USA scored its third and final run of the inning as Gruich lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Minahan – her fourth run driven in of the doubleheader – to increase the South lead to 3-0.
The Eagles got a run back in the next half inning to cut the deficit to 3-1. McLendon led off the inning with a double to the gap in left center and came around to score two batters later. Lydia Witkowski grounded out to third, but on the play Gruich's throw back to third trying to get McLendon hanging too far off the bag went wide and ended up down the leftfield line, allowing McLendon to come home.
South Alabama added three more runs to its lead in the bottom of the third. Minahan doubled off the wall in left – her second extra-base hit of the contest – and then moved to third on Gruich's ground out. After a five-pitch walk to Gulledge, Mayo delivered as she bounced a single back up the middle to bring in Minahan. Three batters latter with the bases loaded, Todd dropped in shallow center and scoring Mayo and Smith and making it 6-1.
The Eagles answered back with a run in their next at-bat. With one out in the inning, GS was able to string together three-straight hits and plate a run. McLendon doubled to the gap in left center and then came around to score two batters on Witkowski's RBI single to right narrowing the Jag lead to 6-2.
Staked with the four-run lead, Vicknair retired the Eagles in order in the fifth and sixth before running into a bit of trouble in the seventh. GS placed runners at first and second after a Witkowski single and a walk to Freeman, but Vicknair shut Georgia Southern down from there as she retired the next three batters 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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