MONROE, La. – The University of South Alabama softball team split its doubleheader Saturday afternoon, defeating ULM 11-2 in six innings in the opener, but falling 12-9 in the series finale at the ULM Softball Complex. With the split, the Warhawks take the series from the Jaguars.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (15-28, 5-17 SBC) will now return home to begin a four-game home stand when the Jaguars host McNeese State at Jaguar Field in a midweek contest on Wednesday night. First pitch versus the Cowgirls is set for 6 p.m.
Date: 4/20
Place: ULM Softball Complex (Monroe, La.)
Game 1
Final Score: South Alabama 11, ULM 2 [6 inn.]
Records: South Alabama (15-27, 5-16 SBC), ULM (8-36, 4-16 SBC)
Box Score
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- South Alabama took control with a seven-run second inning as Katelyn Gruich ignited the run with a solo home run to lead off the inning. Kamdyn Kvistad then capped the frame off with a three-run shot to center.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Gruich, Brittani Reid, Kennedy Cronan, Lyric Cabral and Megan Harris each finished game one of the doubleheader with two hits.
- B. Reid and Ortiz each recorded their 13th doubles of the season, while Gruich and Kvistad recorded their seventh and eighth, respectively home runs of the spring.
- Kvistad drove in three, while Cronan and Holly Stewart plated a pair.
- Freshman pitcher Samantha Yarbrough (3-9) recorded her second complete game of the season as she allowed just two runs – one earned – on three hits and tied a season high with nine strikeouts.
- Jayden Mount went 2-for-2 for the Warhawks.
GAME FACTS
- ULM took the early lead in the opener with an unearned run in the bottom of the first. Sydney McKay led the inning off with a bunt single and then moved into scoring position with her 17th stolen base of the season. McKay then came home a wild pitch and a Jaguar error as Cabral's throw down to third deflected off McKay
- For the second straight day, the second inning proved to be a huge inning for the Jaguars as they scored seven runs on six hits. Gruich led off the inning with a solo shot to left center. USA then loaded the bases after a pair of singles to Cabral and Harris, and a four-pitch walk to MC Nichols. With two away, Ortiz drew a walk to score pinch runner Caroline Nichols. Cronan then followed with a two-run double to the gap in left center to make it 4-1. Kvistad provided the big blow one batter later as she drilled a pitch from ULM starter Adrianna Chavarria (5-13) deep over the wall in center to give South a 7-1 advantage.
- ULM got its second unearned run in as many innings the next half inning as Megan Shaw drew a two-out walk and then came into score one pitch later on a stolen base and a two-base Jaguar throwing error (7-2). The Warhawks had later had runners at the corners after a pair of walks, but McKay was called for leaving early on a stolen base attempt to end the inning.
- Abby Krzywiecki and Cabral began the Jag third with singles and later moved to second and third after a ground out. Pinch hitter Dayla Gulledge then plated the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Krzywiecki from third. After a wild pitch moved Cabral up a base, the sophomore catcher came into score on an infield single by B. Reid to make it 9-2 South Alabama.
- South loaded the bases to start the sixth and with two outs, Stewart drove in a pair as the freshman's pinch-hit flare out to left center was out of reach of Kennedy Page, allowing pinch runner Jordyn Calderon and Gruich to score to extend the Jag lead to 11-2.
- Staked to the nine-run advantage, Yarbrough worked a clean bottom half of the sixth to pick up the run-rule victory.
NOTES
- Gruich's home run was also the 43rd this spring for South Alabama tying the 2019 club with the 2012 and 2007 teams for third most in program history.
- Gruich's solo home run was the 22nd solo home run and the 11th leadoff homer for the Jags this season. Gruich has four leadoff home runs this season.
- The home run was also the junior infielder's fourth career home run against ULM pitching.
- Dating back to the series finale at Georgia State, South has now had an inning in six or more runs in each of its last three contests.
- The two home runs recorded against ULM in game two of the series marked the third straight game in which South has recorded multiple home runs. South has now posted multiple home runs in nine games this season.
- The two home runs in the second also marked the third straight outing that the Jags have hit multiple home runs in the same inning.
- With the 15 hits, South has posted double-figure hit tallies in four of its last five outings, while also posting 10 home runs during that same stretch.
- South Alabama had the leadoff batter reach in four of their six plate appearances.
- The home runs by Kvistad and Gruich marked the third-straight game in which the duo has homered in the same game. Kvistad now has 16 for her career, while Gruich has 12.
- For the third straight outing, every starter in the Jaguar lineup recorded at least one hit and scored a run, while five recorded multiple hits.
- B. Reid moved into a tie for 16th in career multi-hit games as she now has 27 for her career – tying former Jaguar Britany Campbell.
Game 2
Final Score: ULM 12, South Alabama 9
Records: ULM (9-36, 5-16 SBC), South Alabama (15-28, 5-17 SBC)
Box Score
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- With tying run at the plate in the top of the fifth, pinch runner wandered too far off the bag at second and was picked off trying to advance to third to end the inning. ULM added a pair of runs the next half inning to extend its lead out to five.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Ortiz was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and two runs driven in. Three of her four hits went for extra bases as she had a double and two home runs.
- Cronan was also 4-for-4 in the loss as she scored twice and drove in three, two of which coming on her seventh-inning home run.
- Gruich (home run) and Krzywiecki (triple) each drove in two for South Alabama.
- ULM's 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup - McKay, Korie Kreps and Mount – combined for six of the Warkhawks 11 hits, scored six runs and drove in six.
- McKay and Kreps were both 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI, while Mount scored twice as well and drove in four – three coming on a first-inning home run.
- Megan Shaw also carded a multi-hit outing as she with a pair of hits in her three at-bats. Shaw also scored twice.
GAME FACTS
- South jumped out with three runs on five hits in the top of the first. B. Reid and Ortiz both doubled to start things off. Cronan then drove in B. Reid with a RBI single to center. With two outs in the inning, Krzywiecki lined a ball to right that the ULM outfielder was unable to get to, bringing in Cronan and Kvistad to make it 3-0.
- ULM answered with a big inning of its own, scoring seven runs on five hits and one Jaguar error. McKay and Kreps reached on back-to-back infield singles and came around to score one batter later as Mount recorded her fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot to center. Brie Wrobel reached on a fielding error and Murphy Williams drew a walk and with runners at second and third after a ground out, the pair came in on Page's double to left center to make it 5-3 in favor of ULM. The sixth run of the inning later came in when Cabral was called for obstruction while Page was attempting to score. The Warhawks then extended their lead to 7-3 on Jaclyn Kresta's RBI groundout to second.
- South Alabama put up a three spot in the third. Ortiz led off the inning with a first-pitch solo shot to center, and with a runner aboard three batters later Gruich blasted her eighth home run of the season to cut the deficit to 7-6.
- ULM got the three runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Kresta singled to start the frame and moved into scoring position as she stole second. Two batters later, Kreps plated pinch runner Nykiah Hines with a RBI single back up the middle. Mount then made it 9-6 with a RBI double to the gap in left center bringing around Kreps. Mount later scored on a Jaguar error to extend the host lead to 10-6.
- For the second time in the game and in as many at-bats, Ortiz led off the inning with her sixth home run of the season (10-7) and her third time in her last four. Gruich and Krzywiecki drew back-to-back two-out walks, but pinch runner Amanda Flynn was picked off to end the inning.
- ULM took advantage of the missed scoring opportunity and added a pair of runs on two hits. Shaw tripled to the gap in right center with one away and then came in on Kresta's squeeze bunt (11-7). McKay then homered on the very next pitch – her first home run of the season – to extend the ULM advantage to 12-7.
- Ortiz reached on a one-out single through the right side of the infield – her fourth hit of the contest – and Cronan then pulled South Alabama within three (12-9) as she drove a 3-1 pitch by Watts over the centerfield fence for her 10th home run of the season. The two-run shot was South's seventh extra-base hit of the contests. Watts though was able to retire the final two batters after giving up a single to Kvistad,
NOTES
- The back-to-back doubles by B. Reid and Ortiz to start the series finale were the 14th of the season for both batters. The 14 doubles by B. Reid tied the junior mark for doubles in a season with Kaitlyn Griffith (2014) and Brittany Fowler (2012).
- The 14 doubles by Ortiz also tied the freshman mark set by Blair Johnson during the 2012 season.
- The third-inning home run by Gruich marked fourth-straight game tying a program mark set by Haley Hopkins during the 2011 season.
- The home runs by Ortiz and Gruich in the third inning also marked the fourth-consecutive game in which South has recorded multiple home runs in the same inning.
- The two solo home runs by Ortiz were the 23rd and 24th solo home runs of the season for the Jags. USA has now hit 13 home runs to lead off an inning.
- Ortiz has homered in three of her last four games.
- With the four home runs in game two of the doubleheader, South has now recorded 48 this spring, which rank as third-most in a season.
- The four home runs against ULM also tie for a season high by the Jaguars who also hit four in the series finale against Georgia State in the series finale last weekend.
- The Jaguars have homered in multiple times each of the last four, and over that four-game stretch, South Alabama has hit 13 long balls. South has also hit at least one home run in nine of its last 10 contests.
- The two home runs by Ortiz marked the second time this season and 17th time in program history that a South Alabama player has recorded multiple home runs in a game. Kvistad also hit a pair versus Savannah State at the Diamond 9 Citrus II Classic in Kissimmee, Fla.
- The four-hit performance by Ortiz set a new season high for the Mobile, Ala., native, while Cronan tied a career best with four. She also had four hits against Lipscomb earlier this season.
- The multi-hit games were the 12th and 11, respectively, this season for Ortiz and Cronan. With her three RBI, Cronan also now has a team-leading nine multi-RBI games this season.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the offense continuing to stay hot: "I thought we had a lot of quality at-bats in both games of the doubleheader. It was good to see our offense come out and continue to put their foot on the gas. We squared a lot of balls up today and fought back in game two in places."
- On the defensive miscues: "Defensively, we made some mistakes in both games that are preventable and are things we can fix."
- On Samantha Yarbrough: "I was glad to see Sam bounce back today and have a good day. I thought her pitching was big for us. We just have to build off of that."
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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