MOBILE, Ala. – After splitting the opening day of the Mardi Gras Invitational on Friday, the University of South Alabama softball team bounced back with a Saturday sweep of its two games, defeating Hofstra 8-0 in five innings at Jaguar Field. USA then scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to rally back and win 6-5 on a walk-off walk by Abby Krzywiecki.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (7-6) will close out the Mardi Gras Invitational Sunday afternoon when the Jags host Nichols State at 1:30 p.m.

Date: 2/23
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

South Alabama vs. Hofstra
Final Score: South Alabama 8, Hofstra 0 (5 inn.)
Records: South Alabama (6-6), Hofstra (1-6)

Box Score

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- South Alabama broke a scoreless tie with back-to-back four-run innings in the third and fourth innings en route to the run-rule victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Brittani Reid and Kamdyn Kvistad each went 2-for-3 at the plate two runs scored apiece. Kvistad also drove in a run while B. Reid stole two bases.
- Katelyn Gruich had a three-run home run in her at-bats and scored twice with two walks.
- Dayla Gulledge and Krzywiecki each had two-run doubles, while Kennedy Cronan also walked twice.
- Alexis Reid (4-3) went the distance for her second complete game of the season. In her five innings of work, the senior scattered five hits, walked one and struck out a season-high six Pride batters.

GAME FACTS
- Hofstra's scoring chances in each of the first three innings, stranding six runners during that  had scoring chances in each
- Lydia Witkowski reached on a throwing error to start the game and then advanced to third after a pair of ground outs, but A. Reid was able to keep the Pride off the scoreboard with a strikeout of Meghan Giordano.
- HU again placed a runner in scoring position after a leadoff single and a walk, but A. Reid was able to get out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to center.
- South placed a pair on with one out in the bottom of the second as Gruich and Krzywiecki both walked, but Hofstra's Madison Burns (0-4) sat down the next two Jag batters to end the frame and keep the game scoreless.
- A. Reid worked herself into and out of trouble in the third as the Pride loaded the bases on a pair of hits and a Jaguar error, but the senior righty struck out Courtney Scarpato looking and then got Madison McKevitt to ground out to second to end the threat.
- After missing a couple of chances in the first couple of innings, South got on the board in its half of the third with four runs on four hits. The Jags loaded the bases with two outs after a walk by Gruich. Gulledge and Krzywiecki then each followed with two-run doubles. Gulledge gave South the lead when she drove a 3-2 pitch into the leftfield corner plating B. Reid and Kvistad (2-0). Krzywicki then went opposite field when she lined the ball to right bringing around two more runs to make it 4-0.
- South posted its second-straight four-run inning in the bottom of the fourth with all four runs again coming with two outs. B. Reid singled back up the middle and Cronan walked. Kvistad then lined a ball back up the middle to plate B. Reid (5-0). The big hit of the inning came one batter later when Gruich blasted the first pitch she saw high over the scoreboard in left center to give the Jaguars the eight-run advantage.
- Hofstra placed a pair on in the fifth, but A. Reid struck out Scarpato swinging to end the game.

NOTES
- The meeting between South and Hofstra marked the first in the all-time series and was just the third by the Jaguars against a current Colonial Athletic Association member. South is now 4-0 versus the CAA.
- All eight of South's runs were scored with two outs and was 5-for-8 (.625) at the plate in those situations.
- Hofstra left eight runners on, including six over the first three innings and was just 1-for-11 (.091) with runners in scoring position.
- The Pride's half of the fourth was the only frame that either team was retired in order.
- Gruich's three-run home run was the junior's second of the season and the seventh of her career.
- The home run also marked the seventh home run by the Jags in their last nine outings.
- South Alabama is 4-0 in run-rule game to thus far in the 2019 season.  It was also the 108th run-rule game in program history as the Jags are now 93-15 (861) in those games all-time.
- The multi-hit game was the 15th of B. Reid's career and the 13th for Kvistad.
- Kvistad also extended her career-best reached base safely streak to eight games.
- The three RBI by Gruich matched a season high for the Biloxi, Miss., native.

South Alabama vs. Stephen F. Austin
Final Score: South Alabama 6, Stephen F. Austin 5
Records: South Alabama (7-6), Stephen F. Austin (10-5)

Box Score

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- Freshman outfielder Victoria Ortiz provided a late-inning offensive spark for South as she drove a 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in right to cut SFA's lead to one and ignite the Jaguar rally.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Cronan was 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored (game-winner) to go along with her double.
- Krzywiecki had a two-run home run and her seventh-inning walk was the game-winning play.
- Kvistad also walked twice and both Gruich and B. Reid scored once.
- Samantha Yarbrough (2-3) picked up the win in relief as she tossed 4.2 innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven. All seven of her strike outs were swinging.
- Alex Hedspeth and Bryana Novegil were each 2-for-3 at the plate for SFA, while Hedspeth also chipped in with two runs scored and two RBI. Novegil scored once, drove in a run and walked once.
- Brittany Crawford added two runs driven in.

GAME FACTS
- Jag starter Jamie Finnical ran into trouble early on in the top of the first as SFA placed runners at second and third with nobody out after a bunt single, a walk and a wild pitch. The sophomore though responded with two straight ground outs to third and then got Crawford to pop out to Cronan at short to end the inning.
- South Alabama grabbed the early lead with two runs in the second. Gruich was hit by a pitch to start things off and then moved around to third with one out after a ground out and a wild pitch. Krzywiecki then worked the count full and blasted the 3-2 offering from Ashley Kriesel high over the wall in left to put the Jags up 2-0.
- The Ladyjacks answered back with four runs on six hits and a Jaguar error in the top half of the third and batted around. Emily Wolfe reached on an infield single bounced back up the middle to start the frame and then came into score on Novegill's triple to left (2-1). With one away, Stephen F. Austin tied the game up on Hedspeth's RBI-single back up the middle. SFA later added two more runs on a liner down the left field line to put the visitors up 4-2.  
- Following a single by Madison Clements, Yarbrough entered in relief and struck out the next two SFA batters to end the inning.
- SFA had runners at first and second with two outs in the fourth after a pair of walks, but South was able to get out of the inning and keep the game at two-run deficit when Cronan made a nice grab in left center running away from the infield.
- The Jaguars were able to get a run back in their half of the fifth. Taylor Stevens reached on a fielding error and South later put runners at the corners after a pinch-hit single from Holly Stewart. Two batters later Cronan sent a flare that dropped in shallow right to bring in Caroline Nichols, pinch-running for Stevens, to make it 4-3 in favor of SFA.
- South looked as if it might either tie things up or retake the lead later in the inning as it loaded the bases with two outs, but Kassidy Wilbur (5-4) was able to get Gruich swinging to end the frame and preserve the one-run lead.
- The Jaguars tried to get something going in the bottom of the sixth as Gulledge led off with a single to left, but she was out on the next play when SFA threw behind the play after she had been sacrificed to second by Krzywiecki.
- The Ladyjacks took advantage of the two late missed opportunities and looked as if they had added an insurance run on Hedspeth's leadoff solo shot to left (5-3).
- South though saved its best inning for last and delivered some late-game heroics. With one out, Ortiz delivered a pinch-hit solo shot to right to trim the deficit to one at 5-4 and flip the lineup. After B. Reid reached on a throwing error when Wolfe's throw was wide of the bag at first, Cronan tied the game up at 5-5 with a double to the gap in left center.
- Kvistad then walked and with two away Gulledge worked the count full before earning the free pass to load the bases and set the stage for Krzywiecki. The junior got down in the count early, but battled back and fouled off three straight two-strike pitches before working the count full. Wilbur's final pitch was wide outside for ball four bringing in Cronan from third to give the Jaguars the 6-5, come-from-behind victory with the walk-off walk.

NOTES
- The meeting versus Stephen F. Austin was just the third in the all-time series and the second this weekend. South Alabama improved to 3-0 in the series with Saturday night's win.
- The Jaguars have now faced an opponent from the Southland Conference 56 times and are 45-11 (.804) in those contests.
- Gruich was hit by a pitch for the 24th time in her career and the seventh time this season.
- Krzywiecki's home run marked the eighth game in its last 10 games in which it has went deep.
- The home run was the first of the season for the Brighton, Mich., native and the fifth of her Jaguar career.
- The three runs driven in by Krzywiecki also set a new career high in the category.
- The walk-off win was the first of the season for South Alabama.
- The pinch-hit home run by Ortiz was the freshman's first career hit in a South uniform.
- Stewart has two pinch-hits this weekend and has reached base in three of her four opportunities.
- Kvistad extended her career-best reached base safely streak to nine games.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the two wins today and what they can do for this club moving forward: "I thought today was a huge bounce-back for us from last night; we responded in a big way. Games like this give you confidence and help you see what's possible. We needed [a day like today] to see the ability that we have and the potential this team has. I'm happy and really proud for them. Those were two huge team wins and it's great to see contributions not only throughout the lineup, but from the whole roster."

Freshman outfielder Victoria Ortiz
On how she approached an at-bat: "It has been more of a struggle at the beginning of the season. I've been working with all of the coaches and talking about what my plan needs to be whenever I do get my next opportunity. When I went up to the plate, I was just looking for a pitch to drive. I talked to some of the other hitters, so I knew if I looked for a good inside pitch it would be something I could drive. That's what I was ready for."

On her first collegiate hit being a home run: "It's pretty cool. I've never had a first career hit as a home run, so it's a great way to start something so special. It's already special, and this just makes it that much more."

On what a win like this will do for the team: "It's huge for us because it's a big momentum lift. We've been back and forth on putting things together, and I felt like we found it tonight. It puts us in a good spot."

Junior infielder Abby Krzywiecki
On how she played today: "It's actually kind of funny because I didn't warm up very well. I warmed up and I felt a little bit off, but I knew as the warm-up kept going that I was going to have to turn something around quickly on myself. I wasn't going to look for an outside source to do it for me. For me, it was really just my mentality going out there with a lot of confidence today."

On battling through the last at-bat: "I don't think I've ever been so calm in an at-bat in my life, even though it was probably one of the more stressful situations that I can say I've been in in a long time. Bases loaded with two outs and the game on the line is the situation you work for at practice. I was so calm and I knew that I was going to get that job done. It was up to me and I put it upon myself. I wanted to do this for my team. I knew we had a long day of a lot of team effort and team wins in small areas and I thought my at-bat was that little push over the edge that would get us two wins on this day."

On what a win like this will do for the team: "I think today was really big for us as a team as far as chemistry. For us to see these wins and how well we are playing together, especially today, I think is going to push us forward for the rest of the season. It will let us see how far we can push ourselves."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSout_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—