SAN MARCOS, Texas – Trailing by three entering the sixth, Texas State used a seven-run inning to rally back and defeat the University of South Alabama softball team 9-6 Sunday afternoon at Bobcat Softball Stadium.  With the win, the Bobcats complete the series sweep over the Jaguars.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (19-20, 5-9 SBC)) will return home to open up a four-game homestand when the Jags welcome Southern University for a midweek contest.  First pitch versus Southern is set for 5 p.m. on Wed., at Jaguar Field.

Date: 4/8
Place: Bobcat Softball Stadium (San Marcos, Texas)
Final Score: No. 25/RV Texas State 9, South Alabama 6
Records: Texas State (29-8, 11-0 SBC), South Alabama (19-20, 5-9 SBC)

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-1 Inn. — USA, 1-0 — Kristian Foster solo home run to left (RBI)
-2 Inn. — USA, 2-0 — Megan Harris reaches on a fielder's choice, Abby Krzywiecki (unearned) scores from second on a throwing error by Randi Rupp
-2 Inn. — USA, 3-0 — Kaleigh Todd infield single (RBI), scoring Hannah Smith from third
-2 Inn. — TXST, 3-2 — Tara Oltmann home run to center (2 RBI), scoring Ariel Ortiz from second
-5 Inn. — USA, 4-2 — Haleigh Lowe solo home run (RBI)
-5 Inn. — USA, 5-2 — Brittani Reid solo home run (RBI)
-6 Inn. — TXST, 5-3 — (Pinch hitter) Brianna Sannem double to left (RBI), scoring Oltmann from second
-6 Inn. — TXST, 5-4 — Jaclyn Molenaar walk (RBI), scoring Haleigh Davis from third
-6 Inn. — TXST, 5-5 — Christina McDowell walk (RBI), scoring Sannem from third
-6 Inn. — TXST, 6-5 — Hailey MacKay sacrifice fly to center, scoring Mari Cranek from third
-6 Inn. — TXST, 8-5 — Ortiz single to right (2 RBI), scoring Molenaar from third and McDowell from second
-6 Inn. — TXST, 9-5 — Oltmann single to right (RBI), Ortiz from second
-7 Inn. — TXST, 9-6 — Foster double down the leftfield line (RBI), scoring Todd from second

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-With South Alabama holding a 5-2 lead entering the bottom of the sixth, Texas State sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs on seven hits, three walks.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Todd, Lowe and Foster each finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored.  Todd and Lowe also drove in a run, while Foster plated two.
-Lowe, Foster and B. Reid also homered in the contest.
-Texas State was paced by Ortiz and Oltmann who each had three hits in their four plate appearances.  Ortiz scored twice and had two RBI, while Oltman also scored twice and drove in three. Davis had a multi-hit game as well finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-After pitching all 13 innings in game one on Saturday, Rupp went just an inning-and-two-thirds before being relieved in the second inning.
-The first four Jaguar batters in the lineup had seven of South's nine hits, scored four runs and drove in all six runs.
-Devin Brown (12-11) went 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits, while walking four and striking out four.  
-Alexis Reid allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in her two-thirds of an inning in relief.
-Megan King (5-0) picked up the win in relief as she allowed three runs on five hits.  
-Randi Rupp, who started the game, re-entered in the seventh and picked up her third save of the season.

GAME FACTS
-With two away in the first inning, Foster drove the first pitch she saw from Rupp over the leftfield wall
-South Alabama added to its lead in the second with a pair of runs.  With runners at first and second and one away, Harris bounced a chopper back to the circle and Rupp's throw to third was low and got past Texas State's Bailee Carter allowing Krzywiecki (unearned) to score and make it 2-0.  Pinch hitter Katelyn Gruich was then hit by a pitch to load the bases setting the table for Todd.  The senior second baseman battled back to work the count full and then beat out an infield single plating Hannah Smith, who had singled earlier in the inning, from third (3-0).
-Texas State answered back in the bottom half of the second.  Ortiz singled to lead off the inning and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, Oltmann drove a 2-2 pitch from Brown to deep center to cut the Jag lead to 3-2.
-The Bobcats had a two-out scoring opportunity their next time up as they loaded the bases with back-to-back walks and a single by Ortiz, but Brown was able to get Oltmann to ground into an inning-ending fielder's choice to get out of the jam.  Foster had also made an outstanding diving stop at short with two on base on Ortiz's hard single to prevent any runs from scoring and hold Ortiz to an infield single.
-After issuing a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the fourth and with a Bobcat runner in scoring position, Brown was able to get Kennedy Cline to ground out to short and Mari Cranek looking to end the inning.
-Megan King, who had retired the first nine Jag batters that she had faced in relief, ran into trouble in the fifth.  Lowe launched her second home run of the season with a shot over the wall in center.  Two batters later, B. Reid drove a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence to put South up 5-2.  
-Texas State brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the fifth after McDowell and MacKay recorded back-to-back singles, but Hannah Smith made a beautiful diving catch on a liner by Ortiz.  The Jag freshman then got to her feet and made a nice through to Abby Krzywiecki at first to double off MacKay and end the inning.
-After missing out on scoring opportunities the previous four innings, Texas State came up with a big inning in the sixth, scoring seven runs on seven hits and taking advantage of three Jaguar walks.  Trailing by three to start the frame, Oltmann and Davis both singled to start the inning.  Sannem then made it 5-3 with a pinch-hit RBI-double to left to score Oltmann.  Texas State loaded the bases one batter later as Cranek reached on an infield single and tied the game up at 5-5 after back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Molenaar and McDowell by A. Reid.
-MacKay then gave the Bobcats their first lead of the contest with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Cranek from third (6-5).  Ortiz then delivered the big blow as she lined a single to right, plating two more runs.  The final run of the inning came one batter later as Ortiz scored from second on Oltmann's single to right.  Ortiz came all the way around from second on the Oltamnn's base hit and slid under Kamdyn Kvistad's tag attempt at the plate to make it, 9-5.
-South Alabama tried to mount a seventh-inning rally scoring a run and bringing the possible game-winning run to the plate.  With one out, Todd and Lowe both singled.  Foster then lined a double down the left field line to bring in Todd and cut the deficit to three.  After a pop out, Kvistad was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Rupp was then re-entered into the circle and with the count full, the Bobcat right-hander was able to get Krzywiecki looking to end the game.

NOTES
-The start at second was the 196th of Todd's career moving her into 8th on the Jaguars' all-time games played list.  With the start, Todd moved past former Jag Alex Breeden (195).
-The start was also the 176th of Todd's career moving her into a tie for 10th on the program list with Stephanie Pilkington (2013-16).
-The start at short was the 141st consecutive for Foster, which moved the senior into a tie with Brittany Fowler (2010-13) for seventh on the all-time list.
-The home run by Foster snapped a streak of 54 consecutive scoreless innings against Rupp.
-South Alabama now has the 17 home runs this season and 15 of those have been solo shots.  
-The three home runs in the contest also just the third multi-home run game of the season by the Jaguars.  South Alabama hit three home runs at McNeese State (3/28) and against Southern Mississippi (4/3).
-The two-out RBI for Foster in the first inning was the seventh of the season and 42nd of her career.
-The infield single by Todd extended her career-high hit streak to 13 games and her reached base safely streak to 15 games.  The 13-game hit streak by Todd is also the sixth-longest in program history.
-Coming into the series finale against the Jaguars, Rupp had allowed just three total runs in her nine previous Sun Belt outings and just one run in any of her previous five conference starts.
-With her two hit performance, Todd recorded her 12th multi-hit games of the season and the 56th of her career.  She is now just one away from tying Fowler's all-time mark of 58.
-The seven-run sixth inning tied for the most runs allowed by the Jags in an inning this season.  South also gave up seven runs in the second inning to Florida State in game two of its doubleheader versus the Seminoles on Feb. 21.
-The win for Texas State was the 12th straight in the all-time series between the two clubs.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: "This was a really tough loss on the road for us.  I think we are seeing that we have the ability to play toe-to-toe with some of the better teams, not just in our conference, but in the nation.  All the pieces haven't come together for us yet.  We just have to keep fighting until that happens."
- On the performance at the top of the order: "I thought there were a lot of great things going on for us today in the game.  There were people driving the ball and having great at-bats.  Offensively, that's something we can build on.  Seems like right now we have a day when we have good pitching, but don't hit and other days when it's the opposite.  We have to just continue to fight until it all comes together."

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

—USA—