MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team completed the season sweep over Troy with a pair of wins over the Trojans Sunday afternoon at Jaguar Field on Senior Day to close out the regular season.  The Jags picked up an 11-1, five-inning win in the opener and then a 1-0 decision in game two to complete the doubleheader sweep.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (28-25, 13-13 SBC) will be the sixth seed and open up postseason play at the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship in Lafayette, La., when the Jags take on seventh-seeded Georgia Southern on Wed., May 9 at 12:30 p.m. at Lamson Park.  The contest will be the second single-elimination game of the day.  Should the Jags win, they will advance into the double-elimination portion of the tournament and take on Georgia State – the third seed – later that day at 5:30 p.m.

Date: 5/6
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Photo Gallery

Game 1
Final Score: South Alabama 11, Troy 1
Records: South Alabama 27-25, 12-13 SBC), Troy (30-23, 14-12 SBC)

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-2 Inn. — USA, 3-0 —Lyric Cabral home run to left (3 RBI), scoring Amanda Flynn (pinch runner) from second and Hannah Smith from first
-2 Inn. — USA, 4-0 —Dayla Gulledge (unearned) scores from third on a wild pitch by Claire Graves
-2 Inn. — USA, 5-0 —Haleigh Lowe single to center (RBI), scoring MC Nichols (unearned) from third
-2 Inn. — USA, 7-0 —Brittani Reid (unearned) home run to left (2 RBI), scoring Lowe (unearned) from first
-3 Inn. — USA, 10-0 —Lowe home run to right (3 RBI), scoring Gulledge from second and Nichols from first
-4 Inn. — USA, 11-0 —Kamdyn Kvistad double to right center (RBI), scoring Megan Harris (pinch hitter) from first
-5 Inn. — Troy, 11-1 —Logan Calhoun sacrifice fly to left (RBI), scoring Taylor Corbett from third

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-South Alabama broke the game open with a seven-run second inning and never looked back.  Cabral began the scoring with a three-run home run to left and B. Reid capped off the inning with a two-run shot of her own to put the Jags up 7-0.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Lowe was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and four runs driven in, including a three-run home run.
-Kvistad was 2-for-2 with a RBI double, and Cabral also recorded a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and a run scored, all on a home run.
-Gulledge and Nichols also scored twice, while H. Smith scored once and walked twice.
-Devin Brown (17-15) went the distance, allowing four hits, and a run in her five innings of work.  She also struck out four.
-Troy was led offensively by Corbett who had a hit in both her plate appearances, as well as scoring the lone run.
-Madeline Porter also reached base all three times with a hit and a pair of hit-by-pitches.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-South Alabama sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning and hit two home runs
-Troy had leadoff batter reach base each of the first three innings and four of their five at-bats.
-The Jaguars had the leadoff batter reach base all four innings.
-Troy used three pitchers in the contest with Annie Willis (16-7) taking the loss.  In her inning-plus in the circle, Willis allowed three runs on three hits.
-Trojan reliever Claire Graves allowed eight runs (four earned) on seven hits in her two innings of relief.

GAME FACTS
-South Alabama sent 11 batters to the plate and erupted for seven runs (three earned) on four hits and one Trojan error.
Kvistad singled to left to start the frame and H. Smith then walked on four straight by Willis.  Cabral then battled back and worked the count full before delivering a three-run shot deep over the left-field wall on the ninth pitch of the at-bat (3-0).  The home run was the third of the season for the freshman Jaguar catcher.  Gulledge (error) and Nichols (walk) then moved into scoring position after Todd's sacrifice bunt.  Gulledge then made it 4-0 when she came home on a wild pitch by Troy's Graves.  Lowe plated the fifth run of the inning with a single to center, scoring Nichols from third and with one out in the inning, B. Reid hit the second Jaguar home run of the frame with a two-run shot to left, giving South Alabama a 7-0 advantage.
-Troy had a chance to answer the big inning as they loaded the bases with one out in the top of the third.  Corbett dropped in a single to begin the inning and then Porter was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many at-bats.  With one away, ,Webb loaded the bases with a bloop single to left, but Brown came back with a strikeout swinging of Stephanie Snyder and a fly out to left by Erica Davis to end the inning and keep the Trojans off the scoreboard.
-South Alabama loaded the bases with no outs to start the third as Cabral and Gulledge each singled, and Nichols worked the count full before drawing a walk.  Troy looked as if it might get out of the inning unscathed after a nice double play out by Porter at third, but Lowe then put the Jags up 10-0 as the senior blasted a three-run shot down the right field line for her fourth home run of the season.
-The Jaguars got in the scoring column for the third-straight inning in their half of the fourth.  Harris flared a pinch-hit single to begin the inning and then came around to score (11-0) on Kvistad's double to the gap in right center one batter later.
-The Trojans prevented the shutout with a run in the top of the fifth on Calhoun's sacrifice fly to left, but Brown retired the next two batters to seal the win.

NOTES
-With the win in game one, South Alabama locked up the sixth seed in next week's conference tournament.
-Prior to the game one of the doubleheader, four South Alabama seniors – Kristian Foster, Brown, Lowe and Todd – were recognized as part of the Senior Day ceremony.
-South Alabama is now 11-0 this season in game in which it scores four or more runs in an inning.
-The seven runs scored in the second inning by the Jags also ties a season-high for runs in an inning as they also scored seven in game two of the series versus Georgia State (3/24).
-The stolen base by Gulledge in the second inning was just the second of the junior's career.
-The two Jaguar home runs in the bottom of the second inning marked the third time this season – at McNeese State (3/28) and at Texas State (4/8) –South Alabama has recorded multiple home runs in a single inning.
-Three home run game for South Alabama was the fourth game in which the Jags have hit three or more home runs in a game this season.
-With the three home runs, South Alabama has now hit a home run in 13 of its last 22 games, registering a total of 25 during that span.  All seven of the Jags' multi-home run games have come during that same stretch.  
-The three-run home run by Lowe in the bottom of the third set a new single-season for the Prattville, Ala., native, besting her previous mark of 28, set during her sophomore season.
-The run-rule win marked the third of the season for the Jags.  South is now 3-1 this season in games that go less than seven innings.  It was also the 104th run-rule game in program history.  South Alabama now holds an 89-15 record in those contests.
-The multi-RBI games for Lowe and Cabral were their ninth and third, respectively, of the season
-The multi-hit game was the 11th of the season for Lowe, while it marked the ninth and eighth, respectively, of the season for Kvistad and Cabral.
-The multi-hit game for Lowe was the 31st career multi-hit for the senior, moving her into a tie for 13th all-time with Foster, while the multi- game was the 18th of Lowe's career, also moving her into 13th all-time in that category.

Game 2
Final Score: South Alabama 1, Troy 0
Records: South Alabama (28-25, 13-13 SBC), Troy (30-24, 14-13 SBC)

Box Score (PDF)

SCORING PLAYS
-6 Inn. — USA, 1-0 —Lowe double to center (RBI), scoring Todd from first

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
-Lowe broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth as she lined a double to the gap in right center to score Todd from first.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
-Todd was 2-for-2 at the plate and scored the lone run of the game, while Lowe (double) was one of two other players to record a hit and drove in the lone run, her fifth RBI of the doubleheader.
-Kvistad and H. Smith had the two other Jaguar hits.
-Alexis Reid (11-10) recorded her fourth shutout of the season as she allowed four hits and struck out two in her seven innings of work.
-Troy's Peyton Glover (10-9) took the loss as she gave up the one run on five hits, while also striking out two.
-Calhoun led the club at the plate as she was 2-for-3.  Katie Webb and Carli Kayler also had a hit.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-South Alabama recorded double plays in each of the first two innings and nearly had two more as the Jags fielder's choice outs in the fourth and sixth innings.
-Of the 21 outs in the game recorded by A. Reid, 12 were ground-ball outs.
-Conversely, of the 18 outs recorded by Glover, 12 were fly outs.
-Both pitchers finished the game under 90 pitches as A. Reid tossed 86 (61 strikes) and Glover threw 81 (49 strikes).

GAME FACTS
-South Alabama had a chance to get on the board first in the bottom of the second as Kvistad led off with a single to center, but on Hannah Smith's double to left center, Flynn, pinch-running for Kvistad was tagged out at home on the Trojan relay.  H. Smith advanced to third on the throw home, but was left standing there as Glover retired the next two Jaguar batters.
-After allowing just one hit through the first four and-a-third, the Trojans got back-to-back one-out singles from Calhoun and Webb to put a pair on.  A. Reid though
-Playing their final game at home, a pair of seniors broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth.  Todd singled back up the middle for her second hit of the contest to lead off the inning and came around to score on Lowe's double to the gap in right center to give the Jags the 1-0 advantage.
-Troy put the tying run on with one out in the seventh as Kayler singled back up the middle.  Kayler moved into scoring position was she stole second with two outs, but A. Reid was able to get Corbett to ground out to third to end the game.

NOTES
-Todd moved into a tie with former Jag Emily Messer (2013-16) for sixth all-time in program history in games played with 210.
-Game two also marked the 155th consecutive contest in which Todd and Foster have started together in the middle of the infield for the Jaguars.
-Of Lowe's team-high 31 RBI this season, 23 have come in conference play with 10 of those against Troy.
-With the season series sweep, South Alabama has now won 11 straight in the series and six straight in Mobile.
-South Alabama has now finished with a .500 record in conference play for each of the last eight seasons.
-The win also marked the eighth last at-bat win of the season for the Jags and the fourth 1-0 win.
-South Alabama also finishes with a 14-5 overall record at Jaguar Field and an 11-3 mark at home in league play.
-In the three meetings this season against the Trojans, South Alabama has outscored Troy, 19-1.
-With the loss, Troy falls into the fifth seed at the Sun Belt Conference Championships.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the team's play: "I'm happy for our kids today and excited for our seniors to have this kind of day on their Senior Day.  For our players going into the tournament, I thought today was huge for us."
- On what they need to do in the conference tournament: "We have to play ball like we did today [against Troy].  I thought today [the players] turned themselves loose.  They were aggressive.  We had great defensive plays behind us and our pitchers weren't walking people and were throwing strikes.  We had some great at-bats.  In the first game, Hannah Smith battles, draws a walk. Lyric Cabral comes up, battles, gets a pitch she can drive and hits it a long way.  Kam[dyn] Kvistad then drives the ball the other way and has a good at-bat.  Kaleigh Todd and Haleigh Lowe were also having great at-bats and put the ball in play hard.  We just need to keep doing that.  It's a fun game when you play loose, free and are aggressive with what you're doing.  I thought we played really confident.  I want to see us take that into next week."
- On Alexis Reid: "I thought she was hitting her spots.  She wasn't hurting herself, and the defense backed her up.  She got a lot of balls that were put in play that were hit at people [today].  Sometimes you get that hit that no one can get to and there's nothing you can do it about it.  They didn't put the ball in play hard against her and when they did they were hit right at people.  We turned some double plays and didn't allow them to have a big inning."

Haley Lowe
- On her performance today: "I just came out ready to go.  I was really excited, I guess it had to do with Senior Day.  You have to step up and be a leader."
- On getting the win to take momentum into next week's conference tournament: "It's a huge deal.  It gives us great momentum to go into next week.  We have to be ready to play all of these great teams.  Hopefully this gives us that confidence."
- On how capable they are of winning the conference tournament: "We are very capable because we have competed with every team we've played against.  I know I believe in us, our coaching staff believes in us and I have a great feeling about it."

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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