THIBODAUX, La. – Caitlin Garcia delivered a bases-loaded, walk-off single in the bottom of the 16th to defeat the University of South Alabama softball team Tuesday night at Swanner Field at GEOSurfaces Park.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (4-12) will continue its current six-game road swing this weekend when the Jaguars head to Madiera Beach, Fla., to compete in THE Spring Games. The Jaguars will open up play on Friday morning when they take on Seton Hall at 10 a.m. at the Madiera Beach R.O.C. Complex.

Date: 2/25
Place: Swanner Field at GEOSurfaces Park (Thibodaux, La.)

Final Score: Nicholls State 4, South Alabama 3 (16 innings)
Records: Nicholls State (7-11), South Alabama (4-12)

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Katelyn Gruich, Kennedy Cronan, Allie Hughen and Amanda Flynn each recorded a pair of hits in the loss.
- Gruich hit her fourth home run of the season, while Cronan, Hughen and Flynn each hit their second doubles of the spring.
- Gruich, Cronan and Flynn also drove in a run.
- Defensively, Gruich was credited with 14 assists, while Kamdyn Kvistad recorded 21 putouts at first for the Jaguars.
- Jenna Hardy (2-5) pitched 15-plus innings and allowed just two earned runs, four total, while scattering 13 hits and working around five walks. The freshman righty also struck out five.
- Kennedy Hebert and Samantha Mracich were each 3-for-7 at the plate for the Colonels.
- Emma Holland also had a pair of hits and walked three times.
- Jordan Moon (2-2) pitched 9.2 innings of shutout relief allowing just two hits, while striking out seven.

GAME FACTS
- South took the early lead in the top half of the opening frame as Gruich drove a 3-1 offering deep over the wall in left center for her fourth home run of the season. The two-out solo shot gave the Jags an early 1-0 advantage.
- In the bottom half of the first, Nicholls loaded the bases on three-straight singles and then plated a run on Caitln Garcia's RBI ground out, tying the game at one. The Colonels then took the lead (2-1) on another RBI groundout, this one coming off the bat of Meliese Gossen.
- The Jags manufactured a run and got a big two-out hit in the third to tie the game back up at 2-2. Flynn lined a double to center to begin the frame and was sacrificed over by MC Nichols. With two away and runners at the corners, Cronan lined a single to left to score Flynn from third.
- South worked some more two-out magic it's next time up in the fourth. Kassidy Wilcox recorded her first career hit with a single through the left side of the infield and Flynn then brought the freshman catcher home with a single to center giving the Jaguars the 3-2 lead.
- A two-out Jaguar error in the bottom half of the fourth kept the inning alive and the Colonels were able to capitalize on the miscue and tie the game up at 3-3. Gossen reached on a single to start the inning and with the runner on second and two outs, Allie Ammerson was able to reach and put the runners at the corners after an error at short. Mracich then singled through the left side to knot the game up. Hardy was able to get a strikeout looking to end the inning.
- Nicholls put the game-winning run in scoring position after a lead-off single by Mracich and a sac bunt, but Hardy was able to get a pop out to short and a grounder back to the circle to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.
- In the bottom of the ninth, Nicholls had another scoring opportunity. Whitehead walked on five pitches to begin the inning and after being sacrificed up a base, Mracich put runners at the corners with an infield single. Corynn Major then lined into an out at third that Gruich nearly turned into an inning-ending double play. Hardy then got Holland to foul out to Brasher in left to get out of the inning and keep the game tied.
- Moon allowed her first baserunner of the night as Nichols reached base after a one-out NSU throwing error, but the Colonel reliever was able to record one of her seven strikeouts in the game to get out of the inning.
- Major reached on a Jaguar error, their second of the game, and was moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 12th.
- Nicholls looked as if it might end the game in the 14th as Holland walked and Hebert doubled down the line – the first extra-base hit of the night for the Colonels – but Cronan gunned down Holland at the plate attempting to score on a fielder's choice. Hardy then got Gosselin to fly out to center to end the inning.
- After South had left a runner in scoring position in the top half of the inning, the Colonels

NOTES
- With her first-inning home run, Gruich has now homered in three of her last four games.
- It was the 18th home run of Gruich's career moving her into a tie with Jenny Stevens for sixth on South's career list.
- The multi-hit games for Cronan and Gruich marked the 15th of their careers.
- The two-hit performance was also Flynn's second multi-hit game of the spring and her career.
- Wilcox's single marked the first career hit for the Brantley, Ala., native.
- The 16-inning game marked the longest game in program history and was the longest since South Alabama went 13 innings at Texas State on April 7, 2018.
- The extra-inning affair was South's first of the season and the 54th in program history. USA now holds a 28-26 record in those contests.
- With her 15-plus innings in the circle, Hardy set a new single-game mark surpassing Devin Brown's former standard of 12.2 innings set against the Bobcats.
- M. Nichols saw her 12-game reached base safely streak come to an end versus the Colonels.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game:
"Jenna (Hardy) pitched a great game and the defense played well behind her. Our offense squared some balls up that we're right at people and we had some that we just missed. We played better tonight but this is a tough one to lose."

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.

—USA—