KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The University of South Alabama softball team dropped a pair of games on day one of the Diamond 9 Citrus II Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. USA fell 12-4 in five innings to Bradley in its opener and then 6-5 to Purdue in the night cap.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (8-8) will close out play at the Diamond 9 Citrus II Classic with two more games – vs. Savannah State (11 a.m. [CT]) and Bradley (1:30 p.m. [CT]) – on Saturday.

Date: 3/1
Place: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Kissimmee, Fla.)

South Alabama vs. Bradley
Final Score: Bradley 12, South Alabama 4 (5 inn.)
Records: Bradley (7-9), South Alabama (8-7)

Box Score

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- Holding a three-run lead, Bradley put the game away with a five-run fifth to pick up the run-rule victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Abby Krzywiecki was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and drove in two of the four runs for the Jaguars. The junior designated plater also had a home run.
- Kennedy Cronan had a base hit and a pair of walks, while Savanna Mayo and Katelyn Gruich each recorded an RBI.
- Bradley was led offensively by Taise Thompson with four RBI, including a two-run homer.
- Sydney Young also reached base all three of her plate appearances after entering the game as a pinch hitter. Young was 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored, including an inside-the-park home run.
- Grace French (2-1) entered in relief during the first inning and over her five innings of work, French scattered five hits and allowed just one run.

GAME FACTS
- Bradley starter Emma Johnson walked the bases full to begin the game and Gruich brought in the first run of the game for the Jaguars with a walk of her own. With one out, Krzywiecki reached on an infield single to score Cronan from third. Two batters later, Mayo recorded the fifth free pass of the opening frame to bring in Kamdyn Kvistad to make to 3-0.
- South starter Samantha Yarbrough (2-4) struggled with her command in the bottom half of the first inning and the Braves got a pair of runs back. Bradley loaded the bases with two outs after a pair of walks and a couple of hit batters. Like in the top half, Bradley's two runs of the frame came via a free pass. Vicki Zaluske plated Gabby Stoner and Samantha Smith brought in Katie Habryle with a bases-loaded walk each.  Jamie Finnical entered in relief for the Jags and record the final out of the inning to preserve the one-run South lead (3-2).
- Bradley loaded the bases for the third time after a leadoff single by Keeler van Breusegen and a pair of walks. Finnincal looked as if she might get out of the jam after a strikeout looking and a pop out to first, but Thompson was hit by a pitch scoring van Breusegen to make it 3-3.p
- South retook the lead the next half inning when Krzywiecki drove a 3-2 offering over the wall in left for her second home run of the season (4-3).
- The Braves had the first two batters reach for the third time in as many innings and with runners at second and third, Finnical looked as if she were going to escape the inning unscathed, but Cronan was unable to cleanly field a ground ball at short, allowing a pair of runs to come around to score (5-4).
- Bradey extended its lead its next time up as pinch hitter Carly Chovanec walked on four straight to start the inning and then came around to score on Thompson's two-run home run to left making it 7-4.
- Walks would come back to bite the Jags again in as Stoner and Seeton reached to start the bottom of the fifth. The two runners later moved up a base on a wild pitch on a third strike, and Stoner came in on a RBI groundout by Thompson. The Braves then put the game away with Young's inside-the-park home run, a run scored on a wild pitch and Taylor Mead's RBI single that got over the head of Amanda Flynn in center to end the game.

NOTES
- The meeting versus Bradley was just the second in the all-time series between the two clubs.
- All of the meetings in the series have come in Kissimmee, Fla., at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic.
- It also marked the ninth time that USA has faced a current Missouri Valley member.
- Bradley is the second Valley member on the Jag's schedule this season – Missouri State. USA is now 0-2 this season against the league.
- With her first-inning walk, Gruich extended her reached base safely streak to 11 games.
- Krzywiecki's third-inning home run marked South's 10th game in its last 12 in which it has recorded at least one home run in a game.
- The inside-the-park home run by Bradley's young was the first by a Jag opponent since Texas State's Ariel Ortiz on April 8, 2017.
- The 13 walks issued by South Alabama pitching was a season-high, along with five hit batters, also a season high.
- Bradley scored at least one run in every inning and had the first two runners reach base to start all five of their opportunities.
- The three-hit performance by Krzywiecki set a new career high for the junior.

South Alabama vs. Purdue
Final Score: Purdue 6, South Alabama 5
Records: Purdue (8-7), South Alabama (8-8)

Box Score

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- After South had taken a one-run inning the previous frame, Purdue responded with two runs in the top half of the fifth to take the lead for good. The Boilermakers tied the contest up after back-to-back wild pitches and then went out in front on Rachel Becker's sacrifice fly to left.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Brittani Reid and each went 2-for-3 at the plate in the loss to lead South Alabama. Both of B. Reid's base hits went for extra bases as the junior outfielder had a double and a home run.
- Cronan also drove in a pair of runs, while Mayo and Holly Stewart plated a run apiece.
- Becker was productive in all five of her plate appearances for Purdue as she went 3-for-3 with a walk and the sac fly, while also scoring twice.
- Madison Douglass had a hit and walked twice, and Alexa Binckes also chipped in with a pair of hits in her two at-bats to go along with her three RBI.
- Kaitlyn Moody tossed three innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits and striking out two to pick up her second save of the season.

GAME FACTS
- Purdue loaded the bases after back-to-back singles to start the inning and a hit batter with two outs. Binckes hit a ball deep in the hole at short allowing Becker to score from third (1-0).
- South threatened to answer back with a run in the bottom half of the opening frame as B. Reid led off the inning with a double to center. The junior then advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Purdue starter Sydney Bates (2-2) was able to retire the next three Jag batters and leave B. Reid stranded.
- The Jaguars tied the game back up at 1-1 in the second with an unearned run that was aided by a pair of Boilermaker errors. Victoria Ortiz reached when Binckes throw was off the mark on a swinging third strike in the dirt. Taylor Stevens then reached on a fielder's choice and Ortiz advanced to third
- Purdue got the run back the next half inning as the Boilermakers loaded the bases for the second time in the contest with one out. Bates dropped in a run-scoring single in shallow right center, allowing Jenny Behan – who had led off the inning with an infield – to score (2-1).
- B. Reid then recorded her second extra-base hit of the game and tied things back up at 2-2 when she led off the Jags' half of the third with a solo shot to left. – her first long ball of the season.
- South added three runs in its half of the fourth to go back out in front by one (5-4). Krzywiecki singled to start things off and Ortiz then lined a double to center to put runners at second and third. South tried to lay down a squeeze, but Amanda Flynn, pinch running for Krzywiecki, was called out at the plate on a bang-bang play. With two away two batters later, Stewart delivered a pinch-hit single to bring in a run and trim the deficit to one. B. Reid followed with a walk to load the bases and Cronan then delivered a big two-out two-run single back up the middle to put the Jags out in front (5-4).
- Purdue answered back with two runs in the top of the fifth.  The Boilermakers got a pair of pinch-hit singles to start the inning and Kasey Wilhoit and Nicole Seiss then both moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. The first run of the inning then came in on the second wild pitch of the inning by Alexis Reid (5-4), tying the game at 5-5. Becker then lifted a fly ball to left that was deep enough to score Seiss from third (6-5). PU then loaded the bases with three-straight walks, but A. Reid was able to retire the next two batters to prevent any further damage.
- The Jags placed the tying and go-ahead runs on board in the bottom of the seventh as Krzywiecki reached on an infield single followed by a two-out walk by Ortiz, but Moody was able to get Gulledge looking to end the game.

NOTES
- The meeting versus the Boilermakers was the fourth in the all-time series and the series is now even at 2-2.
- All four of those series meetings have come on a neutral field with two of them coming at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic.
- South Alabama has now faced current Big Ten members 12 times in program history.
- Purdue is the second Big Ten member on the Jag's schedule this season – Illinois.
- B. Reid's leadoff home run to start the third was the 12th in the last 14 games for South Alabama and marked the fifth straight game in which USA has had at least one home run in a game.
- The home run was the 11th of B. Reid's career as well and the first for a Jaguar batter to lead off an inning.
- The multi-hit performance was the fifth of the season for B. Reid and the 17th of her career, moving her into 24th on South's all-time list in that category.
- Gruich saw her 11-game reached base safely streak come to an end.
- With her two hits, Krzywiecki recorded her second multi-hit outing of the day, her second third of the season.
- Purdue left 15 runners on base in the game.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the Bradley game: "We let the game get away from us in the first game today. We gave up too many free passes; I would've liked to have seen us be more efficient on the mound and work ahead in the count more. I thought there were places in that game where we could have made a better adjustment at the plate offensively. I didn't see us make the adjustments we needed to. To win at this level, you have to make pitches and have great at-bats, and we didn't do that in the first game."
- On the Purdue game: "There were places in the second game where we had chances to get the big hit, but we weren't able to come through with it. I think the effort was there. There were some places where we need to have better approaches at the plate and be more aggressive. I thought [Alexis Reid] pitched a good game, it wasn't her best game, but it was a good game. There are some places where she needs to clean up the free bases. I look for her to be more efficient tomorrow and for our hitters to be aggressive at the plate, and for us to play fundamental softball where we make pitches, make routine plays defensively and have quality at-bats at the plate."

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.

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