MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team picked up a 6-1 victory over ULM in game one Friday, but fell 13-1 to the Warhawks to earn split in the Sun Belt Conference doubleheader at Jaguar Field.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (21-21, 6-10 SBC)) will close out the series against ULM on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. at Jaguar Field.
Date: 4/13
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)
Game 1
Final Score: South Alabama 6, ULM 1
Records: South Alabama (21-20, 6-9 SBC), ULM (21-16, 8-8 SBC)
Box Score (PDF)
SCORING PLAYS
-1 Inn. —ULM, 1-0 —Cheyanne Lyon walk (RBI), scoring Sydney McKay from third (unearned)
-2 Inn. — USA, 1-1 —Hannah Smith solo home run to center (RBI)
-2 Inn. — USA, 2-1 —MC Nichols triple to left (RBI), scoring Katelyn Gruich
-3 Inn. — USA, 3-1 —Brittani Reid double to left (RBI), scoring Haleigh Lowe from second
-5 Inn. — USA, 4-1 —Kamdyn Kvistad double to left center (RBI), scoring Kristian Foster from second
-5 Inn. — USA, 6-1 —Smith single up the middle (2 RBI), scoring B. Reid (unearned) from third and Taylor Stevens (pinch runner) from second
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first, Devin Brown as able to hold the Warhawks to just one earned run.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Smith was 2-for-3, the first multi-hit game of her career, and drove in a career-best three runs. She also recorded her second home run of the season.
-Both of Gruich's hits were doubles and the sophomore also scored a run.
-Lowe, Foster and B. Reid each scored a run and had a hit, while the latter also had a RBI. Those three, along with Todd, also walked.
-Nichols recorded her first triple of the season and her first RBI.
-Brown (13-11) picked up the win as she allowed just one unearned run on four hits, while striking out 10 and walking just one.
-Rochelle Roberts was the lone player for ULM to record multiple hits in game one as she was 2-for-3.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Of Brown's 10 strikeouts, four were looking, bringing her season total in the category to 46.
-Brown also had three two-strikeout innings.
-ULM's Jesse Watts (5-4) took the loss in the opener allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and four walks in her six innings of work.
GAME FACTS
-ULM loaded the bases with no outs as the first three batters of the game on an error, a hit-by-pitch and a bunt single. With one away in the inning, Lyon worked the count full and drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring McKay for an unearned run and giving the Warhawks a 2-0 lead. Brown was able to limit the damage to the one run though as she got a fielder's choice one batter later and struck out Brie Wrobel to end the inning.
-South Alabama got on the board with a pair of runs in its half of the second. Smith homered to center to lead off the inning and then after a double by Gruich, Nichols tripled over McKay's head in left to score the second run of the inning (2-1).
-ULM got the first two on in the third as Rochelle and Hunter Hogan singled, but Brown was able to retire the next three Warhawk batters, with a ground out and two strikeouts.
-The Jags added a run in the bottom half of the inning to extend the lead to 3-1. Lowe walked on five pitches to start the frame and after moving in to scoring position one batter later, B. Reid lined a double to left to bring her in.
-South posted its biggest inning of the game with a three-run fifth. Foster walked to start the inning and B. Reid then reached on a Warhawk error. Kamdyn Kvistad then drove in Foster with a double to the gap in left center. Smith then made it 6-1 a batter later as she lined a single to center to plate two more runs.
-After allowing the back-to-back singles to start the third, Brown finished strong as she retired the final 15 ULM batters and recorded eight of her 10 strikeouts during that stretch.
NOTES
-With her doubles in her first two at-bats, Gruich's had a streak of five extra-base hits as she had a double and two home runs on Wednesday against Southern.
-Smith's second-inning home run marked the third-straight game South Alabama has had a home run. The Jaguars have also recorded 15 home runs in their last 11 contest.
-Of South's 20 home runs this season, 16 have been solo shots and nine have led off an inning.
-It also marked the third straight game for South Alabama with a home run and was the 15th home run in the Jags' last 11 contests.
-Todd saw her 14-game hit streak come to an end in the opener, but extended her 17-game reached base safe streak with her walk. It is the third consecutive season that Todd has reached base safely in 17-straight games.
-ULM's Jayden Mount was hit-by-pitch for a Sun Belt-leading 22nd time in the first inning.
-With her walk in the first, B. Reid extended her reached base safely streak to 15 games.
-The 10 strikeout game for Brown was her fifth double-digit strikeout game of the season and extended her program-best mark to 37 games.
-The win was also Brown's 64th of her career, moving her past Farish Beard for second on the program's all-time list.
-After missing her last four games due to injury, Lyric Cabral returned to the Jaguar lineup in the series opener.
Game 2
Final Score: ULM 13, South Alabama 1
Records: ULM (22-16, 9-8 SBC), South Alabama (21-21, 6-10 SBC)
Box Score (PDF)
SCORING PLAYS
-1 Inn. — ULM, 1-0 —Lyon hit-by-pitch (RBI), scoring Mount from third
-1 Inn. — ULM, 2-0 —Wrobel hit-by-pitch (RBI), scoring Roberts from third
-1 Inn. — USA, 2-1 —B. Reid sacrifice fly to right (RBI), scoring Todd from third
-2 Inn. — ULM, 3-1 —Jaclyn Kresta scored from second on a two-base on a throwing error by Smith
-2 Inn. — ULM, 4-1 —Roberts bunt single (RBI), scoring McKay (unearned) from third
-2 Inn. — ULM, 6-1 —Ana Hogan ground out to first (2 RBI), scoring Roberts (unearned) from third and H. Hogan (unearned) from second
-2 Inn. — ULM, 7-1 —Wrobel single to center (RBI), scoring Lyon (unearned) from third
-2 Inn. — ULM, 8-1 —Wrobel (unearned) scores from third on a wild pitch and throwing error by Lyric Cabral
-7 Inn. — 10-1 —Wrobel single to center (2 RBI), scoring Mount from third and Roberts from second
-7 Inn. — 12-1 —Megan Shaw double down the leftfield line (2 RBI), scoring A. Hogan from third and Victoria Pederson (pinch runner) from second
-7 Inn. — 13-1 —Kresta scores from third on a wild pitch
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-With ULM holding a one-run lead, the Warhawks erupted for six runs in the top of the second to take command of game two of the doubleheader.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Lowe was the lone Jag to record multiple hits in game two of the doubleheader as she was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double.
-Todd, Foster and Gruich registered the three other hits for South Alabama with Todd scoring the lone run.
-ULM had four players finish the contest in double figures in hits, led by Roberts' 3-for-5 performance at the plate. Roberts scored twice and drove in a run.
-Mount, H. Hogan, Wrobel and Shaw each had two hits and scored a run apiece. Shaw and A. Hogan had 2 RBI, while Wrobel plated four.
-Paige Murray picked up her 12th win of the season, allowing just the one run on five hits, while walking three and striking out two.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-The Warhawks loaded bases three times in the second inning and five times in the game.
-South Alabama used three pitchers in the contest. Alexis Reid (8-10) went just 1.1 innings allowing seven runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks. She also hit three batters.
-Megan Dudenhefer pitched 5.1 innings of relief, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits. She also walked four, hit three batters and recorded her first collegiate strikeout. Bailey Murphy pitch one-third of an inning.
-South Alabama hit six ULM batters in the game and walked six.
GAME FACTS
-Like the opener, ULM loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first after a double by McKay and back-to-back infield singles. With one out, Lyon was hit by a pitch from A. Reid to plate the first run of the inning. After Smith was able to get Roberts out at home on the second fielder's choice play at the plate of the inning, the Jaguar starter was one pitch away from getting out of the inning, but hit her second batter of the inning (Wrobel) to score H. Hogan and give ULM the 2-0 lead.
-South Alabama got a run back in the bottom half of the inning as Todd walked on five pitches to start the inning and then swiped the 68th base of her career. After advancing to third on Foster's infield single, Todd came home to make it 2-1 on B. Reid's sacrifice fly to right.
-ULM took command of the game in the second scoring six runs on two hits, three hit batters, four walks and two costly Jaguar errors. After loading the bases with no outs for the second straight inning, Kresta (HBP) scored the first run of the inning on a two-base Jaguar throwing error. McKay scored one batter later on a bunt single by Roberts and A. Hogan grounded to first scoring two as the Warhawks were aggressive on the base paths. Wrobel had a part in the final two ULM runs of the inning as she had an RBI single to center and then came around to score from third on a wild pitch by Dudenhefer to make it 8-1.
-South Alabama put at least one runner on in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings but its best chance to try to get back in the game came in the third as the Jags loaded the bases with two outs. B. Reid worked the two-out walk to fill the bases, but Murray was able to get Kvistad swinging to end the inning and preserve the seven-run lead for ULM.
-ULM added to its lead in the top of the seventh with another big inning, scoring five runs to extend its advantage to 13-1.
-Murray worked a 1-2-3 seventh to clinch the win and even the series.
NOTES
-Todd's leadoff walk in the first extended her reached-base safely streak to a career-best 18 games.
-The six-run second inning is the third-most runs allowed by the Jaguars in a single inning this season. With the five-runs in the top of the second, South Alabama has only allowed two innings of four or more runs in the same game just twice (Florida State).
-South is 0-8 this season when surrendering an inning of four or more runs.
-Warhawks sent 13 batters to the plate in the second inning, tying for most batters in one inning by an opponent (Texas State).
-ULM's Kresta's walk in the second came after a 13-pitch at-bat in which she fouled off six two-strike pitches.
-B. Reid extended her reached-base-safely streak to 16 games with her third-inning walk to load the bases.
-With her run scored in game two, Todd tied former Jag Blair Johnson for third all-time in runs scored as she now has 136 for her career. Todd is also now just two hits shy of tying Brittany Fowlers program mark for career hits (213) and one stolen base from tying Evelyne Pare's stolen base mark (69).
-The multi-hit game for Lowe was the 27th of her career, moving her into a tie for 15th on the all-time list in the category with Britany Campbell.
-The 12-run margin of defeat is the biggest to a Sun Belt opponent. The previous mark was 10 by Louisiana on 5/13/11. It is also the fourth-largest margin of defeat overall.
-The loss snapped an 11-game win streak by the Jaguars in the series and was ULM's first win in the series in Mobile since a 4-2 victory on 4/10/10.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the doubleheader: "Devin (Brown) had a little bit of a slow start in game one today, but she picked it up at the end and was a lot more efficient. She hit her spots a little better and picked up her velocity. We got some timely hits as well. In game two, we had opportunities to put some runs on the board and didn't do what we needed to do. We had some tough things happen to us earlier in the game and let it get away from us. We gave up too many free passes. At the end of the day that's what hurt us in game two. We have to get ready to comeback on Sunday."
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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