KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The University of South Alabama softball team dropped a pair of heartbreakers Saturday during day two of the Diamond 9 Citrus I Classic held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Jaguars rallied back twice in game one of the day, tying up Louisville in the sixth and seventh innings.  However, the Cardinals took advantage of a missed opportunity in extra innings and scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to get the 5-4 win.  In the nightcap, Louisville made a third-inning run stand up to pick up a 1-0 win over the Jaguars.

UP NEXT
-South Alabama (6-8) will close out tournament action at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic with a 10:30 a.m. (CT) contest versus Bradley.

Date: 2/24
Place: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Kissimmee, Fla.)

(RV) Louisville vs. South Alabama
Final Score: Louisville 5, South Alabama 4 (8 inn.)
Records: Louisville 9-4), South Alabama (6-7)

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-4 Inn. — LOU, 1-0 — Catie Barber scores on a fielding error by Savanna Mayo at third (unearned)
-4 Inn. — LOU, 2-0 — Kyra Snyder single to right (RBI), scoring Megan Hensley (unearned)
-5 Inn. — LOU, 3-0 — Jamie Soles single to left (RBI), scoring Sidney Melton
-6 Inn. — USA, 3-2 — Kristian Foster single to left (RBI), error on Melton in left, scoring Taylor Stevens (pinch runner) and Lyric Cabral (unearned)
-6 Inn. — USA, 3-3 — Foster scores on a wild pitch (unearned)
-6 Inn. — LOU, 4-3 — Caitlin Ferguson hit-by-pitch, scoring Nicole Pufahl
-7 Inn. — USA, 4-4 — Haleigh Lowe single to center (RBI), Brittani Reid scores (unearned)
-8 Inn. — LOU, 5-4 — Celene Funke reaches on a fielder's choice, scoring Maddy Newman

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-South Alabama tied the game up in the top of the seventh and had the bases still loaded with no outs, but Cardinal pitcher Danielle Weston was able to get out of the jam and keep the game tied as she a pop out to third, a fielder's choice out at home and a strikeout swinging to end the inning.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Lowe, Cabral and Foster recorded the three Jaguar hits in the contest.  Lowe also walked once and drove in a run, while Foster recorded South's only other RBI and scored once.  Cabral also scored once in the contest.
-South Alabama starter Alexis Reid pitched five innings allowing three runs, but only one of which was earned.  Devin Brown (4-3) entered in relief in the sixth and gave up only one run.
-Pufahl reached all three times for the Cardinals as she was 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk.  She also scored a run.
-Snyder, Soles, Ferguson and Funke were each credited with a run driven in.
-Watson pitched 2.1 innings of relief and was credited with the win after striking out three Jag batters and allowing just the one unearned run.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Of Louisville's five runs scored, only two were earned, while only one of South Alabama's four runs were earned.
-Louisville's Jenna Jordan registered 10 putouts in the game.
-Both teams combined to leave 19 runners on base – Louisville (10) and South Alabama (9).
-The Jags had seven baserunners reach either by walk (4), error (2) or hit-by-pitch (1).
-South's first five baserunners of the game did not come via a hit as they were three walked batters, one hit batter and one player who reached on an error.

GAME FACTS
-South had a scoring opportunity in the opening frame with runners at first and second, but Hensley was able to get her third foul out of the inning to get out of the frame.
-Louisville records the game's first two hits (Jordan and Pufal) in the bottom of the third, but A. Reid leaves the runners aboard as she records her second strikeout of the game.
-A. Reid ran into some two-out trouble in the fourth as she walked Soles and then allowed a single to left to Hensley.  The Cardinals plated their first run of the inning when Jordan's grounder bounced off Savanna Mayo's glove at third and rolled into shallow left allowing Barber to score.  Hensley then came into score when Snyder's base hit
-Melton led off the fifth with a single to left and stole second to move into scoring position.  She was then sacrifice to third and came around to score on Soles RBI single through the left side of the infield.
-The Jaguars knotted the game up in the sixth with three runs.  With two-outs in the frame, Krzywiecki worked a walk and then Cabral put runners at the corners with a single.  Foster then delivered the big hit as she lined a ball to left that dropped in just in front of Melton.  Melton let the ball get past her and roll to the wall allowing Stevens and Cabral to score.  During the next Mayo's at-bat one batter later, Foster came home on a wild pitch to tie the game up at 3-3.
-The Cardinals reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom half of the sixth.  After retiring the first two batters of the frame, Brown ran into some two-out trouble as she allowed back-to-back singles from Pufahl and Funke.  Melton then walked to load the bases and Pufahl came into score when Ferguson was hit by a pitch to make it (4-3).
-South Alabama tied the game back up its next time up with an unearned run.  Brittani Reid walked on five pitches to begin the inning.  MC Nichols then reached on a throwing error while sacrificing B. Reid to second.  Pinch hitter Katelyn Gruich the loaded the bases with a walk after being down 0-2 in the count. Lowe then tied the game back up at 4-4 with an RBI single that dropped in shallow center.
-The Jags had a chance to do more damage in the inning as the bases were still loaded with no one out, but Watson was able to retire the next three Jaguar batters.
-South started the eighth with a runner on second due to the international tiebreaker rule, but could not advance her and missed the scoring opportunity.
-In the bottom half of the frame, the Cardinals took advantage of the missed opportunity.  Newman was moved to third with a sacrifice bunt by Pufahl and then came into score when she beat Todd's throw home on a fielder's choice, giving Louisville the 5-4 win.

NOTES
-This was the first game of the series between the two clubs.
-Todd made her 123rd consecutive start against Louisville, moving her to ninth in the category past former Jag Haley Hopkins.
-South Alabama didn't record its first hit of the contest until the fifth inning on Cabral's single to right center.
-Todd saw both her eight-game hit streak and eight-game reached base safely streak come to an end in the contest.

(24) South Carolina vs. South Alabama
Final Score: South Carolina 1, South Alabama 0
Records: South Carolina (14-1), South Alabama (6-8)

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-3 Inn. — 1-0 — Alyssa Kumiyama double down the left field line (RBI), scoring Kennedy Clark

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-Kumiyama broke a scoreless game and provided the eventual game-winning run as she doubled down the leftfield line to scored Clark from second and give USC the 1-0 lead.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Todd and Krzywiecki recorded the lone two hits on the night for the Jaguars.  Kamdyn Kvistad and Hannah Smith also reached base safely via a walk.
-Brown pitched four innings of scoreless relief for South as she allowed just four baserunners – one hit and three walks
-A. Reid (2-4) pitched well allowing just the one Gamecock run.
-Clark was 2-for-4 with a run scored for South Carolina, while Kumiyama drove in the lone run of the game.
-Cayla Drotar improved to 7-0 with the win as she allowed just the two hits and issued a pair of walks, while striking out two in her seven innings of work.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Like the first game of the day, South Alabama did not record its first base hit until after the fifth inning.
-Drotar didn't face more than four batters in any inning and didn't allow a Jag batter past first base on the night.

GAME FACTS
-South Carolina broke through with a run in the top of the third and did so with two outs in the inning.  Clark and Jana Johns each singled after the first two batters of the inning had been retired.  Clark then came around to score on Kumiyama's RBI-double.
-With a runner on in the top of the fifth, Mackenzie Boesel drove a ball deep to the wall in center, but Nichols was able to make the grab against the wall.  Lowe also had a nice grab on a long fly ball by Kumiyama to lead off the bottom of the second.
-South Alabama did manage to get the tying run aboard each of the final four innings, but all four base runners were left standing at first.

NOTES
-The meeting was the second in the series between the two clubs and the first since the 2015 season.
-H. Smith started at third base for South Alabama marking the first collegiate start of her career.
-The loss marks the fourth-straight, which is a season long.
-After going 4-1 during the opening week of play, the Jags have dropped six of their last eight.
-There were numerous outstanding defensive plays by both teams in the contest.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_Jags. 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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