TROY, Ala. – Aly Smith's eighth-inning RBI double helped the fourth-seeded South Alabama softball team survive and advance Thursday afternoon at the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Championships held at the Troy Softball Complex on the campus of Troy University.
"I thought we gutted it out today and grinded one out," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said. "I would've liked to have seen us come up with the big hit a little earlier with runners in scoring position; I thought we had a couple of opportunities to bust the game open but we just couldn't get the big hit. It wasn't because of lack of effort; it just didn't happen this game.
"The big thing for us is to just keep playing hard, competing, having great at-bats and great pitching."
South Alabama (35-19) will now take the winner of No. 3 Georgia State/No. 5 Texas-Arlington Friday at 12:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled to have started at 2 p.m. but due to possible inclement weather later in the afternoon, the schedule was moved up. Should USA win the Jags will also play at 3 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined. The Jaguars fell into the loser's bracket after falling 6-0 to No. 1 seeded Louisiana-Lafayette earlier in the day.
South improved to 4-0 in Sun Belt tournament play in extra innings with the win.
Kaleigh Todd led South at the plate as she was 2-for-3 and reached base four times as she also walked twice and drove in a run. The multi-hit game was Todd's 25th of the spring. Savanna Mayo and Haleigh Lane also recorded a hit and scored once to go along with Smith's RBI. Foster also had a pair of walks and drove in a run.
Devin Brown (19-6) went the distance for her 10th-straight start, giving up just the two runs on four hits while striking out six.
With the loss, Louisiana-Monroe (30-28) most likely sees its season come to an end.
Sydney McKay and Jayden Mount each recorded a pair of hits and scored a run, while the latter also drove in one. Jessie Watts also had an RBI in the loss.
ULM starter Melanie Coyne went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. Paige Porter (6-7) took the loss in relief allowing one run on two hits.
After leading the bases loaded in the first, the Jaguars broke through with a run in the second. USA placed runners on first and second with one out after a lead-off single by Lane and ULM error allowing Smith to reach. Todd then drove a ball off the wall in left center to plate Lane and give USA the 1-0 advantage.
Two innings later, South manufactured a run with two outs. Megan Harris singled to center and Todd then reached base for the third-straight at-bat as she walked on five pitches. MC Nichols then singled through the right side of the ULM infield to load the bases and Foster worked an eight-pitch at-bat walk to bring in Harris.
South's lead could've been greater as the Jags left eight on through the first four innings.
After retiring ULM's first nine batters, Brown got herself into a bases-loaded no-out jam in the bottom half of the fourth. McKay lined a single to right for the Warhawks' first hit of the game. After Cheyanne Lyon was hit by a 2-2 pitch from Brown, Mount singled back up the middle to load things. Brown was able to get a pop out to Todd at second, but one batter later Louisiana-Monroe got on the scoreboard as Watts reached on a fielder's choice scoring McKay. Brown was able to get out of the inning without any further damage as Samantha Agamaite flew out to Nichols in left to end the inning.
The Warkhawks tied the game up one inning later as Mount drove a two-out, full-count pitch from Brown over the wall in left to make it 2-2. The solo shot for Mount was her seventh of the season.
Brown did make history earlier in the inning as she recorded her fifth strikeout of the game and the 700th of her career. She joins former Jaguar Beth Pilgrim as the only other player at South Alabama to eclipse the 700-strikeout mark.
In extras, Mayo nearly put the Jaguars back out in front as she lined a double off the top of the wall in left center, just missing a home run. With one away, Smith came through for the second day in-a-row as she doubled to the gap in left center, scoring Mayo and giving USA a 3-2 advantage. The RBI was Smith's fourth run driven in of the tournament.
Brown came out and pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning and was helped out at the start of the frame as Mayo made an outstanding grab just behind the bag at third.
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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