BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sophomore outfielder Brittani Reid recorded a career-high three extra-base hits and the University of South Alabama softball team held off a couple of late-inning rally attempts by UAB Wednesday as the Jaguars picked up a 6-4 win over the Blazers at Mary Bowers Field.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama will close out its 10-game road stretch as the Jaguars will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to compete at the Tennessee Invitational March 2-4 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.  South will open up tournament play with a pair of games on Friday vs. Charleston Southern (9 a.m. CT) and Toledo (11:30 a.m. CT).  The Jags will also face Tennessee on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (CT).  The final two opponents for South will be determined as the tournament progresses.

Photo Gallery

Date: 2/28
Place: Mary Bowers Field (Birmingham, Ala.)
Final Score: South Alabama 6, UAB 4
Records: South Alabama (8-8), UAB (6-11)

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-2 Inn. — UAB, 1-0 — Rachel Rogers double to right (RBI), scoring Sarah Crawford
-3 Inn. — USA, 1-1 — Katelyn Gruich single up the middle (RBI), scoring Brittani Reid
-3 Inn. — USA, 2-1 — Lyric Cabral walk (RBI), scoring Kristian Foster
-4 Inn. — USA, 3-1 — B. Reid double to left and an error on the leftfielder, scoring Haleigh Lowe
-4 Inn. — USA, 4-1 — Foster single through the left side of the infield (RBI), scoring B. Reid
-4 Inn. — UAB, 4-2 — Molli Garcia ground out to second (RBI), scoring Crawford
-6 Inn. — USA, 5-2 — B. Reid solo home run to left
-6 Inn. — UAB, 5-3 — Garcia fielder's choice, scoring Crawford
-7 Inn. — USA, 6-3 — Haleigh Lowe infield single (RBI), scoring Kaleigh Todd
-7 Inn. — UAB, 6-4 — Smith walk (RBI), scoring Petree (unearned)

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- With a runner on in the bottom of the third and the Jags holding a one-run lead, Jag center fielder MC Nichols made a diving catch in right center to end the inning and rob Madison Millsaps of extra bases.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-B. Reid led the way offensively going 3-for-5 at the plate.  All three of her hits went for extra bases – double, triple and a home run – to finish with nine total bases.  B. Reid also scored a career-best three runs and drove in a run as well.
-Lowe also had a pair of hits, scored a run and drove in a run.
-In addition to her RBI-single, Foster also recorded a walk and scored a run.
-Kamdyn Kvistad reached base all four of her plate appearances recording a single and three walks.
-Gruich and Cabral each drove in a run for the Jaguars, while Todd had a hit, scored a run and stole a base.
-UAB was led offensively by Crawford who was 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored.  
-Rogers also drove in a pair of runs for the Blazers and reached base twice with a walk and a hit.
-Megan Smith walked twice and was 1-for-2 on the night.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Kvistad's lead-off walk in the second inning came after the freshman was down 1-2 in the count.
-During Krzywiecki's third-inning at-bat, the sophomore just missed a grand slam as the ball was judged to be just left of the foul pole.
-Both teams left double-digit base runners on in the contest.  South Alabama had 11 runners left stranded, while the Blazers left 10 on base.

GAME FACTS
-South Alabama was able to get the first two aboard to start the top of the second as Kvistad walked to lead off the inning and Krzywiecki lined a single to center.  Krzywiecki and Taylor Stevens, pinch running for Kvistad, were then sacrificed to second and third by Katelyn Gruich.  Hannah Smith then worked a pinch-hit walk to load the bases, but Kaleigh Todd grounded out to second to end the inning.
-UAB made South pay for the missed scoring opportunity the next half inning.  Crawford lined a double down the leftfield line to begin the frame.  With one out, Rogers doubled off the wall in right plating Crawford to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead.
-The Jaguars loaded the bases with one out in the third and were able to come through with a pair of runs.  B. Reid tripled off the wall in right and Foster and Kvistad then worked back-to-back walks to load the bases.  With two away in the inning, Gruich lined a single back up the middle to score B. Reid.  Cabral then walked to bring in Foster for South Alabama's second run.
-South Alabama added two more runs its next time up as it recorded four hits in the frame.  Lowe reached on a one-out infield single and then came around to score one batter latter when B. Reid double to left and Katelyn Prater let the ball get by her.  B. Reid advanced to third on the play and then came into score on the Jags' third hit of the inning on a RBI single through the left side of the infield from Foster.
-The Blazers got a run back in the bottom of the fourth.  Crawford singled back up the middle to begin the inning and then moved over to third on Megan Smith's double to center.  Two batters later, Garcia grounded a ball to second, allowing Crawford to score and cut the Jag lead in half (4-2).
-B. Reid again had the big bat in the sixth as she took a 3-2 offering from Emily Kachel and drove it high over the wall in left to lead off the inning and put South up 5-2.
-The Blazers answered back with a run in their half of the sixth as they loaded the bases with one out.  Crawford – who led off the inning with a double to center – came around to score and cut the Jag lead to 5-3 on Erwin's fielder's choice.
-South Alabama added another important run in the top of the seventh and did so with some two-out hitting.  Todd reached on an infield single and moved into scoring position when she stole second.  After a passed ball advanced the senior second baseman to third, Todd came into score (6-3) when Lowe beat out an infield single.
-UAB scored a run and put the winning run on in the bottom of the seventh.  Petree reached base on a fielding error at third by Savanna Mayo.  Madison Millsaps then singled to right center and after a fly out to right, Smith worked a walk to load the bases.  Rogers then walked with the bases loaded to bring in Petree and trim the deficit to two (6-4).  Devin Brown (6-4) though was able to get Garcia to fly out to right to end the game.

NOTES
-B. Reid's third-inning triple was the first of the season for the Jaguars.
-The three-hit performance marked the second-straight multi-hit game for B. Reid and was her fourth of the season.
-Both of B. Reid's home runs this season have come to lead off an inning.
-B. Reid finished just a single shy of becoming the first Jaguar to hit for the cycle in a game.
-Lowe also posted her first multi-hit outing of the season with her two hits.
-The stolen base for Todd was the 61st of her career moving her into second place on the program's al-time list past Britany Campbell.  She is now just eight behind Evelyne Pare's mark of 69.
-The 11 hits matched the season high for the Jaguars, which also had 11 against Butler (2/11).

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
-On the offense's performance: "I was proud of our offense tonight.  We've seemed to be either a hit away or two hits away from braking games open.  I thought we were able to get some of those hits tonight.  Our goal going into the game was to have quality at-bats and be able to string those together.  I felt our players were calm at the plate and worked through some stuff, and when they got a pitch they could hit, they came through.  Alexis [Reid] and Devin [Brown] battled out there on the mound, but I was proud of what our offense was able to do for us tonight."

-On being able to answer UAB's rally attempts: "Being able to answer back and continue to tack on runs gives you some breathing room and takes pressure off of our pitchers, especially when you are in a game on the road.  Our ability to answer those runs was huge."

Brittani Reid
-On what she attributes her big night at the plate to: "I just talked with Coach [Kristina] McCain tonight before the game and she told me that this was going to be my game, and that I just needed to trust my eyes.  That's what I did."

-On what they took from the Bradley game that helped them be successful tonight: "We worked together as a team tonight, everybody had quality at-bats.  Everyone was able to contribute something positive.  We just need to keep building as a team and if everyone continues to have quality at-bats and trust our eyes, and do the things that we've been working on, we'll do great things."

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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