MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team scored seven unanswered runs over its final two at-bats Sunday afternoon to rally back and complete the series sweep with a 7-2 victory over Georgia Southern at Jaguar Field.

South Alabama (31-18, 13-12 SBC) will close out the regular season at in-state Sun Belt rival Troy with a doubleheader on Sunday, May 7 with game times set for 1 and 3 p.m. at Trojan Field.  With the win, the Jaguars moved into fourth place in the Sun Belt standings.

Prior to the game, South honored its two seniors – Amanda Minahan and Destin Vicknair.

"I thought we started out kind of slow today, but then we figured it out, strung some things together and got it going," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said.  "MC [Nichols] coming in off the bench and getting that big inning going was huge for us.  Like yesterday, we had people come in off the bench and contribute.  We also had a lot of kids have some great at-bats and do a good job at the plate.  Haleigh [Lowe] had a great weekend for us and it was good to see her get things going.  There was just a lot of good stuff for us all the way around."

Celebrating 21st birthday on Sunday, junior leftfielder Haleigh Lowe was a perfect-3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored.  The multi-hit performance was her eighth of the season.  The outstanding day at the plate capped off an outstanding weekend for Lowe as she finished 7-for-9 in the series (.778) with four runs scored, while reaching base in nine of her 10 plate appearances.

Kaleigh Todd was 2-for-5 on the afternoon with a run scored, while six other Jags – Kristian Foster, Minahan, Dayla Gulledge, Savanna Mayo, Morgan Lutticken and MC Nichols – also recorded at least one hit.  Mayo and Katelyn Gruich drove in two runs for USA, while Foster, Minahan and Lutticken also registered a RBI.

Devin Brown (16-6) picked up her second complete-game win of the series and didn't surrender an earned run in her seven innings in the circle on Sunday or in the series.  Her two unearned runs allowed came in the third inning and she gave up just five hits, while striking out four.

Georgia Southern fell to 24-25 on the spring and 12-12 in the Sun Belt with the loss.  Andrea McKenzie recorded two of the Eagles' five hits on the day.

Dixie Raley took the loss and dropped to 13-17 on the year, allowing six runs – three earned – on nine hits, while walking three and striking out five.  Kierra Camp entered the game in the sixth and in her third of an inning of work, she allowed an unearned run on two hits.

USA had an excellent scoring opportunity in the top of the first with runners at second and third and only one out, but Raley was able to work out of the jam as she got Minahan to pop out to first and Gruich to strike out swinging.

The missed opportunity would come back to bite the Jags in the third as the Eagles got a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-0 lead.  India Davis lined a one-out single to left that was misplayed by Lowe for a two-base error allowing Davis to race around to third.  The GS second baseman came one batter later as Lydia Witkowski grounded out to short.  USA and Brown looked as if they might get out of the inning when Mekhia Freeman hit a grounder to Todd at second, but it went off her glove for South's second error of the inning.  The Eagles capitalized on the miscue as Emily Snider doubled to the gap in left center to score Freeman to give Georgia Southern the two-run lead.

After giving up a lead-off double McKenzie to begin the fifth, the Eagles looked like they might add to their lead.  McKenzie was sacrificed over to third by Davis, but that was as close as she would get as Brown was able to get Witkowski to fly out to right and Freeman to ground out the second to end the inning.

The Jaguars took advantage of the missed opportunity and a GS error plating a pair of unearned runs and tie the contest back up .  Lowe lined a one-out single to left to ignite the offense and then moved to second on Foster's base-hit.  Raley induced a ground ball from Minahan one batter later and looked as if she were going to get out number two at third, but Shelby Wilson dropped the ball, allowing Lowe to reach third and loading the bases for South.

USA then scored its first unearned run of the inning when Gruich was hit by a pitch, bringing in Lowe.  With two outs in the inning and the bases still loaded, Mayo worked the count full and drew a walk to score Foster and make it 2-2.

In the next half inning, Wilson lined a two-out double off the base of the wall in left, but Brown again came up big as she got Alesha Mann swinging to end the frame and keep the game all square at two.

Like in the series opener, South used a big inning in the bottom half of the sixth to break the close game open; recording five runs on five hits and sending 11 batters to the plate.  Nichols bounced a pinch-hit single back up the middle to get things started for the Jags.  Todd and Lowe then loaded the bases for the second-straight inning with a bunt-single and a walk.  The first run of the inning came on the very next batter as Foster hit a sacrifice fly to shallow left that wasn't fielded cleanly by Witkowski, scoring Nichols and giving USA the 3-2 lead.

Minahan followed with a RBI-single to center scoring Todd and Gruich then reached on a fielding error by Mann at short – the third of the game by Georgia Southern – to plate Lowe.  After a ground out, Mayo kept things going as she singled through the left side of the infield scoring Minahan who had stolen second to give the Jags a four-run advantage.  South recorded its fifth and final run of the inning one batter latter on Lutticken's single to center.

Brown would allow a one-out double to McKenzie in the seventh, but nothing else as she got a fly out to left and a ground out to first by Witkowski for the final out of 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

—USA—