Box Score - South Alabama 4, Southern Mississippi 3.pdf
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MOBILE, Ala. – Trailing by three runs, the University of South Alabama softball team scored all four of its runs in the fourth inning to rally back and pick up a 4-3 win over Southern Mississippi Wednesday night at Jaguar Field.
"I think the biggest thing for us tonight was the play of our defense," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said. "I thought the defense really got the job done. Devin [Brown] struggled a little bit in the circle for us tonight and missed some spots. The defense though really stepped up and made some plays for us, when we needed a big play."
South Alabama (24-12, 6-7 SBC) will now host Texas State in a three-game Sun Belt series this weekend. The Jaguars and the Bobcats will open up with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 8 (1 / 3 p.m.) and then close out the series on Sunday, April 9 with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Jaguar Field.
The come-back win marks the second time in the Jaguars' last three games that USA has rallied back to win after trailing by three runs. The win also extended South's current win-streak to five games.
Kristian Foster paced the Jags at the plate as she was 2-for-3 – her 10th multi-hit performance of the spring, while she also added two RBI – her eighth multi-RBI game. Foster has now driven in 16 in her last 14 games.
Also recording a hit for South Alabama in the win were Kaleigh Todd, Megan Harris, Savanna Mayo and Abby Krzywiecki. Todd, Mayo and Krzywiecki also scored a run, while the latter and Harris also drove in a run.
Devin Brown (13-6) won her fourth-straight decision and went the distance – her 15th complete game of the season. In her seven innings of work, Brown allowed three runs on nine hits, while striking out nine.
Southern Mississippi (19-19) was led at the plate by Chase Nelson and Tori Dew, who were each 2-for-4 on the night. Lauren Holifield recorded two RBI in the loss.
Samantha Robles fell to 4-7 with the loss. In her six innings, Robles allowed four runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out four.
After the Jags left a pair on in the first, the Golden Eagles threatened the next half inning, loading the bases with one out after a pair of singles and a walk, but Brown was able to get Heather Hill looking and Rachel Johnson swinging to end the threat.
Southern Miss broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third when Holiman belted her eighth home run of the season over the left-center field wall to give the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead. The one-out two-run shot came on a 0-2 pitch from Brown and scored Nelson who had singled one batter earlier.
USM added to and extend its lead to 3-0 with a run in the fourth. Johnson singled back up the middle with two outs after being down 0-2 in the count and then came around to score one batter later on Reynolds' RBI double to left. Reynolds' double came on a flare to left that got over the drawn in South Alabama defensive alignment.
South Alabama loaded the bases for the second-straight inning and after leaving five on through the first three, the Jaguars put up a four spot in the fourth to take their first lead of the contest. Mayo led the inning off as she lined a single to right and then came around to score USA's first run of the evening on Krzywiecki's double to left.
After a strikeout, South loaded the bases on a walk to Nichols – her second of the game – and then a single to left by Todd, which extended her reached-base safely streak to 15 games. Harris then drove in the second run of the inning with a ground out to first, scoring Krzywiecki. Foster then put USA out in front as she lined Robles' 0-1 offering to left, plating Todd and Nichols to give the Jaguars a 4-3 advantage.
Over the final two innings, the Golden Eagles would have an excellent pair of scoring opportunities, but Brown's pitching and the Jaguar defense would come up big.
With one out in the sixth, USM's Arielle Pollock tripled to the wall in right to sit in scoring position. Brown though recorded her eighth strike out of the evening getting pinch hitter Bailey Stokes swinging. The junior righty was helped out by her defense on the next play as Foster snagged a liner behind the bag at third that looked as if it were going to drop in off the bat of Johnson to end the frame.
Southern Miss then placed runners at first and second with nobody out after Reynolds walked on five pitches to lead things off and Nelson's infield single. Brown though was able to get Holifield to pop out to second for the first out and then Harris made a shoe-string grab in right on a sinking liner by Dew for the second out. Brown then got pinch hitter Jade Lewis swinging to end the game and clinch the one-run victory.
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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