LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese State scored five runs over its final two innings and defeated the University of South Alabama softball team, 6-2 Tuesday night at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (4-6) will now return home to host the Mardi Gras Classic this weekend beginning with Jacksonville on Friday at 3:45 p.m. at Jaguar Field.

Date: 2/18
Place: Cowgirl Diamond (Lake Charles, La.)

Final Score: McNeese State 6, South Alabama 2
Records: McNeese State (9-2), South Alabama (4-6)

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Abby Krzywiecki was one of seven Jaguars to record a hit as she registered her first home run of the season.
- MC Nichols had a base hit and scored a run for South, while Katelyn Gruich had a hit and a walk in two of her three plate appearances.
- Mackenzie Brasher reached three times with a hit and a hit-by-pitch.
- McNeese was led offensively by Lauren Brown who was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Kaylee Lopez, Haylee Brinlee and Gracie DeVall each drove in a pair of runs.
- In her 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, Saleen Flores (3-1) allowed just two hits and improved to 3-1 on the season.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama was the first team to put a runner in scoring position after a walk to Gruich and an infield single by Allie Hughen in the top of the second, but Alexsandra Flores was able to work out of the jam and end the inning when she recorded her third strikeout of the contest.
- McNeese loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one out after a leadoff single to Brown, a Jaguar error and a walk to Caylon Brabham, but Hardy was able to work out of the jam after getting Cori McCrary and Brinlee to pop out on the infield and keep the game scoreless.
- The Cowgirls were able to break through with a run in their half of the fourth. Tayler Strother walked to start the inning and then moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. The McNeese second baseman was then sacrificed to third and DeVall laid down a safety squeeze bunt to plate Strother and give the Cowgirls the 1-0 lead.
- South strung together some baserunners and scored twice to take its first lead of the game in the fifth. Krzywiecki tied the game up the next half inning as she lifted her ninth career home run to right center with a full count. Flynn and M. Nichols then followed with back-to-back singles. After a fielder's choice and a pitching change, McNeese looked as if it was going to get out of the inning on a ground ball to second, but Strother let the ball go between her legs and roll into the outfield, scoring M. Nichols.
- Lexi Hutchins (2-1) entered in relief of Hardy, ran into some two-out trouble the next half inning as she hit a pair of batters. Brinlee then lined a 1-1 offering into the gap in right center, scoring pinch runner Jil Poullard and McCrary (3-2).
- McNeese added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth with three more runs. Perrin lined a triple down the leftfield line to begin the sixth for the Cowgirls. On the play, Brasher nearly made an outstanding catch, but the ball deflected off the out-stretched freshman's glove, allowing Toni Perrin to race around the bases. One batter later, Perrin came home when she slid home to beat the tag at the plate (4-2). Two batters later, Lopez delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to right to extend the lead to 6-2.

NOTES
- The meeting marked the 10th in the all-time series between the two clubs and the first of five this season against an opponent from the Southland Conference.
- With her single, Kamdyn Kvistad extended both her hit and reached base safely streaks to five.
- Hughen (single) and Brasher (HBP) also extended their reached base safely streaks to six, while Hughen has now had at least one hit in each of her last four games.
- Krzywiecki's fifth-inning home run was the first by a Jaguar since Shelby Sloan in game one of the season against Texas State.
- M. Nichols also extended both her hit (4) and reached base safely (7) streaks with her infield single in the fifth inning.
- With her leadoff single to start the sixth, Gruich extended her hit streak to four and has now reached base safely in five straight.
- Brasher extended her team-best hit streak to six games with her seventh-inning single. The freshman is also now tied with Cronan for the team-lead on reached base safely streak (7).

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game:
"I thought we were pretty average tonight all the way around. We've got to do a better job executing at-bats, executing our pitches and then get our job done defensively. I thought we were just in and out in those areas, and that's unfortunate. When you play a good team and you do those things, you get beat. I thought McNeese played a good game and their players did what they needed to do, unfortunately we didn't. We'll go to practice tomorrow and get better."

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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