MOBILE, Ala. – Sophomore first baseman Katelyn Gruich reached base all four of her plate appearances and capped off a 3-for-3 night at the plate as her two-run, sixth-inning home run to left gave the University of South Alabama softball team an 11-2 walk-off win over Southern at Jaguar Field.
Gruich had a pair of two-run home runs in the contest and a double, while tying a career high with four RBI. Kaleigh Todd was also 3-for-4 with two runs scored and also tied a career best with three runs driven in.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (20-20) will continue its homestand when it hosts ULM in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series over the weekend. Due to the threat of inclement weather, the start of the series has been moved up to a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday evening at Jaguar Field. Game times for the remaining two contest will be determined on either Thursday or Friday.
Photo Gallery
Date: 4/11
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)
Final Score: South Alabama 11, Southern 2 (6 inn.)
Records: South Alabama (20-20), Southern (11-17)
Box Score (PDF)
SCORING PLAYS
-1 Inn. — USA, 1-0 —Brittani Reid reaches on a fielder's choice (RBI), scoring Todd from third
-2 Inn. — SU, 2-1 —Tiara Scott home run to left (2 RBI), scoring Alison Walton from first
-2 Inn. — USA, 2-2 —Todd single up the middle (RBI), scoring Gruich from third
-2 Inn. — USA, 3-2 —Haleigh Lowe ground out (RBI), scoring Megan Harris from third
-3 Inn. — USA, 5-2 —Gruich home run to left center (2 RBI), scoring Hannah Smith from first
-5 Inn. — USA, 7-2 —Todd double to left (2 RBI), Amanda Flynn (pinch runner) from third and Harris from second
-5 Inn. — USA, 8-2 —Lowe sacrifice fly to left (RBI), scoring MC Nichols from third
-5 Inn. — USA, 9-2 —Kristian Foster single to center (RBI), scoring Todd from third
-6 Inn. — USA, 11-2 —Gruich home run to left center (2 RBI), scoring Dayla Gulledge (pinch runner) from third
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-Gruich drove a 3-2 pitch off of Southern reliever Brock Scarlett for her second two-run home run of the night high off the scoreboard in left center to give South Alabama the walk-off win.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Gruich was 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of two-run home runs and a double. She was also hit-by-pitch in her only other plate appearance.
-Todd also had an outstanding night offensively as she was 3-for-4 as well with a double, two runs scored and three runs driven in.
-Foster was 3-for-4 with a RBI, while Harris reached base all three times with a base hit and a pair of walks to go along with her two runs scored. Nichols also had a hit and a run scored.
-Alexis Reid (8-9) recorded her 11th complete game of the season and allowed just the two runs while working around nine Southern hits.
-Southern was led offensively by Sydney Andrew, who was 3-for-4. Walton and Scott also had a pair of hits with the latter recording her fourth home run of the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Southern used three pitchers in the contest. Aubrion James (6-8) took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits.
-South Alabama was very productive in its run-scoring opportunities as they finished the night 9-for-19 (.474) with runners in scoring position and 7-for-15 (.467) with a RBI opportunity.
-All 11 of South Alabama's runs scored came as a result of a run driven in.
-Southern left 10 runners on base in the contest and had a total of 12 baserunners in the game.
GAME FACTS
-South Alabama got on the board first with a run in the bottom half of the opening frame. Todd lined a single to center to start the inning and then with runners at second and third, the senior second baseman came home to make it 1-0 as she beat the throw home on B. Reid's fielder's choice.
-After retiring the first two batters in the second, the Jags ran into some two-out trouble. Walton singled to center and Scott then drove a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left for her fourth home run of the season. Southern threatened to do more damage placing a pair of runners on after back-to-back singles, but A. Reid was able to get Kiara Suttles to strikeout swinging to end the inning.
-South Alabama answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Gruich doubled off the wall in left to start the inning. South then laid down back-to-back bunt singles from Harris and Nichols to load the bases. Todd delivered her second hit in as many at-bats as she lined a run single to center to tie the game at two. Todd moved up to second on the throw home and one batter later Harris gave the Jags the lead for good (3-2) on Lowe's RBI ground out.
-Gruich put South Alabama up 5-2 an inning later as she blasted her first home run of the season deep over the wall in left center. The two-run shot scored Hannah Smith, who had walked with two outs.
-Southern loaded the bases with two outs in its half of the fifth, but A. Reid was helped out by her defense as James grounded into an inning-ending fielder's choice when Smith fielded the grounder and touched the bag at third.
-The big inning for South Alabama came in the fifth as the Jags erupted for four runs on two hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Gruich again got things started as she was hit. Harris and pinch hitter Morgan Lutticken then walked to load the bases bringing Todd to the plate. Todd lined a double off the wall in left to bring in both Gruich and Harris. Lowe then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Nichols – who had re-entered the game for Lutticken – and Foster lined a single back up the middle to plate Todd from third giving South Alabama the 9-2 advantage.
-Southern threatened in the sixth as it loaded the bases for the second time in as many innings with two outs after a pair of singles and a walk. A. Reid was able to keep the visitors off the scoreboard though as she got Elizabeth Donaldson to fly out to center.
-In the bottom half of the sixth, Kamdyn Kvistad walked on five pitches to lead the inning off. Gulledge, pinch running for Kvistad, then advanced all the way around to third on a pair of wild pitches setting the table for Gruich. With one out, Gruich worked the count full and then lifted her second two-run bomb of the evening sealing the 11-2 walk-off win for South Alabama.
NOTES
-With her start at short, Foster made her 142nd consecutive start moving her into seventh on the program's all-time list.
-Todd's single to start the bottom of the first extended her career-best 14 games. The 14-game hits streak is tied with Evelyne Pare for the fifth-longest streak in program history.
-Todd has also now reached base safely in 16 consecutive games, which now ranks among the program's top 20 all-time.
- With her single, B. Reid also extended her reached-base safely streak to a career-best 14 games.
-Todd recorded the 57th multi-hit game of her career with her RBI single in the second. The 57 multi-hit games tie Todd with former Jag Brittany Fowler for top honors at South. Todd has now also had a multi-hit game in 10 of her last 13 outings.
-Todd also moved into second on South Alabama's career hits list with the second-inning hit, passing Emily Messer (2013-15). Todd now has 210 hits for her career. She is just three behind Fowler's program mark of 213.
-The multi-RBI game was Lowe's team-leading sixth of the season and the 15th of her career moving her into 15th all-time for her career in the category.
-The last time a South Alabama player had two home runs in the same game came last season at ULM (4/23/17) when Savanna Mayo had a pair. Gruich is just the ninth player in program history to record two home runs in the same game and it is the 14th time overall that a player has done so.
-The two home run performance was also South Alabama's fourth multi-home run game of the season.
-The walk-off win was South Alabama's fourth this season and second (Western Kentucky) by run-rule.
-South Alabama also improved to 7-1 this season in midweek games. USA has won its last six midweek competitions.
-The meeting was the first-ever between the two clubs. South Alabama has now won 23 of the 24 meetings against opponents from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On Katelyn Gruich's performance: "It was great to see Katelyn Gruich get going, drive the ball and do what she's capable of doing. Hopefully she can carry it into this weekend.
- On Alexis Reid: "With Lex (Reid), it was a rebound outing for her. It was good to see her go six, throw strikes. Hopefully that will carry over into the weekend and gives her a boost heading into ULM."
Katelyn Gruich
- On her performance tonight: "I was just trying not to do too much. I've been in a slump lately and the coaches preached to the team not to give in. I tried to work the middle of the field tonight."
- On carrying her performance into the weekend: "You can always learn from your at-bats. Tonight I was seeing the ball well. I tried not to do too much."
- On the team carrying its offensive outburst into the weekend: "I think it's a big thing for us to know what we are capable of doing. We just need to try not to give into the pitcher or guess what she's throwing."
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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