MOBILE, Ala. – Georgia Southern scored four runs on six hits, all with two outs in the top of the fourth to rally back and even the series with a 5-2 Sun Belt Conference win Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Field.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (17-29, 6-18 SBC) will close out the series with the rubber match on Sunday with first pitch versus the Eagles set for noon. Prior to Sunday's series finale, the Jaguars will honor five seniors – Dayla Gulledge (Dothan, Ala.), Megan Harris (Whitehouse, Texas), Savanna Mayo (Little Rock, Ark.), Alexis Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) and Taylor Stevens (Bay Minette, Ala.).
Date: 4/27
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)
Final Score: Georgia Southern 5, South Alabama 2
Records: Georgia Southern (20-26, 6-16 SBC), South Alabama 17-29, 6-18 SBC)
Box Score
Photo Gallery
KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME
- With two outs and the Jags leading by one in the top of the fourth, Shelby Wilson lined a ball back up the middle that deflected off South Alabama starter Alexis Reid (10-16) allowing Wilson to just beat out shortstop Kennedy Cronan's throw at first. The infield single was the first of six-straight Eagle hits, which led to four runs and put Georgia Southern out in front 5-2.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Brittani Reid had a double, scored a run and drove in a run in her four at-bats, while Victoria Oritz also had a double and a RBI.
- Senior catcher Taylor Stevens had a hit as well and scored for South Alabama. Stevens also had 11 putouts in the contest.
- Samantha Yarbrough pitched three-and-a-third innings of scoreless relief, tying a season high with nine strikeouts. The freshman righty allowed just one hit and didn't walk a batter.
- Mekhia Freeman was 3-for-4 at the plate with a RBI for Georgia Southern.
- Hannah Farrell, Shelby Wilson and Shayla Smith each had two hits apiece, while the latter two also scored a run.
- Smith drove in three of Georgia Southern's five runs and posted her second home run of the spring.
- Rylee Waldrep (5-12) went the distance for the Eagles allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four.
GAME FACTS
- The Eagles got on the board first with a run on a pair of hits in the opening frame. May Coleman walked with one out and Georgia Southern put runners at second and third one batter later as Wilson doubled to center. GS then took a 1-0 lead on Smith's RBI single through the left side of the infield.
- The Jaguars had a chance to answer back in the bottom half of the inning. Facing an 0-2 count, Kamdyn Kvistad was hit by a pitch – extending her on-base streak to 10 games – to start the frame. Pinch runner Caroline Nichols then moved all the way to third on a tag play and a wild pitch, but Waldrep was able to get a ground out to end the inning.
- Stevens led off the Jag second with a single through the left side of the infield on the first pitch of the inning. The senior catcher then moved into scoring position on Megan Harris' sacrifice bunt. B. Reid and Ortiz then followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to the gap in left center to give South a 2-1 advantage.
- Georgia Southern answered back in its half of the fourth scoring four runs on six hits – all coming with two outs in the frame – and sent 10 batters to the plate. Wilson beat out an infield single and then came around to score on Smith's two-run home run to center. After two more singles, the Eagles added two more runs in the inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Day and Farrell to give the Eagles a 5-2 lead. With two on, Yarbrough entered the circle in relief and struck out Faith Shirley swinging to get out of the inning.
- Ortiz was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the sixth and two batters later, pinch runner MC Nichols moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. After trailing early in the count, Katelyn Gruich was able to work it back full before drawing the walk to put a pair on, but Waldrep recorded her fourth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
- The Eagles looked as if they might tack on an insurance run in the seventh after Freeman reached on a leadoff single, moved to second on a fielding error and later advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Yarbrough held GS off the scoreboard as she struck out the side for the second-straight inning.
- South brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but with Harris and B. Reid at first and second, Waldrep was able to record ninth ground out of the game and get the win.
NOTES
- Saturday's meeting marked the 15th in the all-time series and the eighth on the Jaguars' home field.
- B. Reid extended her current hit streak to nine games with her RBI double in the top of the third.
- The double was her 17th of the season – which leads the Sun Belt conference – and extended her single-season school mark that she set in Friday's opener. B. Reid has now doubled in each of her last six outings.
- The RBI double by Ortiz was her 16th of the spring and the freshman outfielder has recorded at least one double in five of her last six, and a hit in seven straight.
- Cronan also extended her hit streak to a season-high seven games with her third-inning single.
- Saturday ended South Alabama's consecutive games with a home run and double-figure hits (6).
- Both of the Jaguars' hit batters – Kvistad (second inning) and Ortiz (sixth inning) – came to lead off an inning when they were down 0-2 in the count.
- Yarbrough struck out nine of the 11 batters that she faced, including the side in the sixth and seventh innings.
- Saturday's meeting marked the 15th in the all-time series and the eighth on the Jaguars' home field. The win was the first in the series by the Eagles on the Jags' home field.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On today's game: "I thought today was a tough loss. It wasn't for lack of effort or lack of competing. I thought we fought hard and we competed hard. We weren't able to get the big hit today, but I thought on the mound there were some really good things. There were some places in there where we either needed to make a pitch or needed to make a play that would've made a difference. I think right now, the big thing for us is to keep fighting. We've just got to stay in that mindset and stay in that mentality and compete every single pitch."
- On the pitching by Samantha Yarbrough out of the bullpen and the pitching overall: "I thought [Sam] did a great job coming in. Even [Alexis Reid] had a couple of seeing-eye ground balls in there that went against her. She had a bad one where she jammed a kid and it looped over the shortstop's head. I thought [Georgia Southern] only really squared up two balls against her, and those were the home run and the double in the left-center field gap. Other than that, she was getting ground balls. Overall, I thought she had a good outing and I though Sam came in and did a good job behind her."
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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