KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The University of South Alabama softball team split its final two games of the Diamond 9 Citrus II Classic on Saturday as the Jaguars defeated Savannah State, 8-1 in the first game of the day, but lost 4-3 in extra innings to Bradley at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Kamdyn Kvistad led the club at the plate in both games going a combined 7-for-8 with three runs scored, five RBI and two home runs in the two contests.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (9-9) will continue its eight-game road swing with an in-state battle against No. 5 Alabama on Tuesday night. First pitch versus the Crimson Tide is set for 5 p.m. at Paul Rhoads Stadium.

Date: 3/2
Place: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Kissimmee, Fla.)

South Alabama vs. Savannah State
Final Score: South Alabama 8, Savannah State 1
Records: South Alabama (9-8), Savannah State (0-9)

Box Score

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- After the Tigers had cut the deficit to three with a run in the bottom of the fourth, South answered back with a three-run fifth to extend its lead back out with the big hit of the inning coming off the bat a Kvistad, a two-run shot to center field.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Kvistad led the club at the plate as the sophomore went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three runs driven in.
- Kennedy Cronan and Victoria Ortiz also had a hit and two RBI apiece, while Taylor Stevens had a pair of doubles in her three plate appearances.
- Alexis Reid (6-4) went the distance for the Jags as she scattered six hits and allowed just the one run, while striking out seven.
- Savanna State was led offensively by Stacie Smith's two hits. Shayna Byers also had a hit, her first home run of the season.

GAME FACTS
- South wasted little time getting its offense going as B. Reid singled back up the middle on the first pitch of the contest. Three pitches later, Cronan blasted the 2-0 pitch deep over the fence in left center to put South up 2-0. USA later put runners at the corners after back-to-back singles by Kvistad and Katelyn Gruich, and Ortiz plated the third run of the inning on a RBI ground out to short, scoring Kvistad.
- SSU threatened to answer in the bottom half of the opening frame with runners at second and third with one out, but A. Reid recorded a strikeout swinging and got Cortni Jones to ground out to third to get out of the jam and hold the Tigers off the scoreboard.
- The Jags added to their lead with some two-out production in the third. Gruich was hit by a pitch with two outs and Ortiz then lined a double to the gap in right center, which rolled to the wall and allowed Gruich to score all the way from first (4-0).
- Byers led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to left center to put Savannah State on the board and cut the Jaguar lead to 4-1. Savannah State's Jakayla Sullivan and Kameryn Baker later reached with back-to-back two-out singles to put runners at first and second, but Sullivan was hit by the ball on Cyrus' base-hit attempt and called for interference to end the inning.
- USA answered the Tiger run the next half inning with a three spot. Krzywiecki waked on five pitches to start things off and then with a full count, Kvistad blasted her second home run of the season, this one a two-run shot deep over the wall in straight-away center. Gruich followed with a walk and was then pinch ran for by Amanda Flynn. Flynn stole second and two batters later came around to score on Holly Stewart's pinch-hit single to center (7-1).
- Kvistad kept her day going in the sixth as she launched a monster shot down the leftfield line for her second home run of the game, extending South's lead to 8-1.

NOTES
- The meeting was the first ever between the two clubs and just the fifth by the Jaguars against a current Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent. USA now holds a 4-1 all-time record against the league.
- With her first-inning home run, Cronan recorded her team-leading fifth home run of the season.
- The home run also marked the 11 game in South's last 13 in which it has recorded at least one home run. It also marked a season-best streak of six straight games with a home run by the Jags.
- Krzywiecki had her six-game hit streak come to an end.
-  With her two hits, B. Reid extended her hit streak to six games and her reached base safely streak to 10.
- Krzywiecki and Cronan both extended their reached base safely streaks to eight.
- Gruich was hit by a pitch for the 24th of her career and eight time this season.
- The three home runs by South tied a season high (vs. Mercer) and marked the third multi-home run game of the season for the club.
- Kvistad's multi-home run game was the second of her career and marked the 16th time in program history a South Alabama player has hit two or more home runs in a single game.
- Kvistad is just one of four players to have done so multiple times in their career with Kaitlyn Griffith the last to do so.
- The multi-hit game was the 14th of Kvistad's career.
- The two-hit performance was the first of Stevens' career, while the two-hit outing for B. Reid marked her sixth multi-hit game of the season and the 18th of her career.

South Alabama vs. Bradley
Final Score: Bradley 4, South Alabama 3
Records: Bradley (8-10), South Alabama (9-9)

Box Score

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- With runners on second and third and one out in the inning, Samantha Smith plated the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Brooklyn Bane.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Kvistad continued her outstanding day at the plate as she went 4-for-4 with two runs driven in. Taylor Stevens and B. Reid also had two hits apiece with the later scoring a run.
- Megan Harris had an RBI single and scored a run as well for the Jaguars.
- Krzywiecki and Ortiz also had a hit and a walk in the loss.
- For Bradley, Lucy Mead and Gabby Stoner had multi-hit efforts with two hits apiece.
- Stacie Seeton only had one hit, but it was a big one for the Braves as it was a three-run double.
- Megan Mahaffy (2-2) pitched 4.1 innings of relief for Bradley and picked up the win as she only allowed two hits and a walk.

GAME FACTS
- The Jaguars jumped out in front with a run in the bottom of the first. Like the opener on Saturday, B. Reid singled back up the middle on the first pitch of the inning and then after moving to second on a passed ball, the junior came around to score on a RBI single to the gap in left center by Kvistad. On the play, Kvistad was thrown out trying to stretch the base hit into a double.
South later put runners at second and third after a walk by Krzywiecki and a double off the bat of Ortiz, but Julie Kestas was able to get a strikeout to end the inning and prevent any further damage.
- The Jaguars placed two on after back-to-back one-out singles by Kvistad and Krzywiecki, but again Kestas was able to get a fly out to left and a strikeout swinging to work out of the jam.
- South extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth as Stevens led off the inning with her second single of the contest. MC Nichols, pinch running for Stevens, later swiped second and then came around to score on Harris' RBI single to center (2-0). B. Reid then reached on an infield single and with two out and two on, Kvistad delivered again as she went the opposite way to score Harris from second to make it 3-0.
- The Braves tied the game up at 3-3 in the top of the fifth as Seeton lined a two-out double off the wall in left center to score Keeler vanBrusegen (fielder's choice) and Mead and Stoner who had all singled earlier in the inning.
- Bradley had another scoring chance in the top of the seventh with two on and one out, but Krzywiecki made and outstanding grab and doubled off Stoner at first to end the inning.
- The Jags had a chance to end it in regulation as Kvistad singled to right with one out and two batters later Ortiz walked on four straight, but Mahaffy was able to get a ground out to short to end the inning and send the game in to extras.
- The Braves started with a runner at second with the international tiebreaker rule in effect, and with one out, Tia Thompson reached on a Jaguar fielding error which put runners at second and third. Smith then lifted a ball to left that was deep enough to score Bane from third for the unearned run.
- In the bottom half of the extra frame, pinch runner Amanda Flynn started off at second and Stevens then reached for the third time in the contest as she was hit by a pitch. The two Jag runners were then sacrificed up a base on Savanna Mayo's bunt. That would be as far as the Jaguars could move the runners as Mahaffy got a pop out to short in shallow left and then a fly out to right to end the contest.

NOTES
- The meeting versus the Braves was the third in the all-time series and Braves have now taken two of those three meetings.
- All three meetings have come at the Diamond 9 Citrus II Classic and Saturday's meeting was the second this weekend.
- South Alabama had its streak of six consecutive games with a home run snapped.
- With her multi-hit game, B. Reid moved into 22nd on South's career list in that category. She now has 19 for her career and she now leads the club on the year with seven.
- B. Reid extended her hit streak to seven games and she has had two hits in five of those seven outings. B. Reid has also now reached base safely in each of her last 11 contests.
- The four-hit performance by Kvistad marked the 15th multi-hit game of her career. The four hits also tied a career high for Kvistad, matching her tally against Georgia State on March 24, 2018.
- Stevens recorded her second straight multi-hit game with her two doubles. The two doubles also were a new career best for the senior catcher.
- The two double plays turned by the Jaguar defense were a season high.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On today's two games: "Overall, I didn't feel that we played complete softball today. That's one of the things we've been talking about as a team; we are trying to be a complete team. We got off to a slow start yesterday. I thought we were better today, but I didn't think we were back where we needed to be, and when you don't play complete games and you don't do the things you need to do to earn wins then those are the results you get. Hopefully we'll learn from this as we get ready to go into conference play next weekend because there are areas we know we need to take a step forward in."

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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