BATON ROUGE, La. – Fifth-ranked LSU used an eight-run fourth to break open the game en route to defeating the University of South Alabama softball team, 11-1 in five innings Tuesday night at Tiger Park.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (8-17, 2-1 SBC) will return home to hosts its second Sun Belt Conference series of the spring when they welcome Georgia State. First pitch versus the Panthers for game one of the series is set for 6 p.m. at Jaguar Field, in Mobile Ala., on Friday.

Date: 3/10
Place: Tiger Park (Baton Rouge, La.)

Final Score: LSU 11, South Alabama (5 inn.)
Records: LSU (21-3), South Alabama (8-17)

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- MC Nichols led South Alabama at the plate as she was 2-for-3, while Katelyn Gruich reached base safely in each of her plate appearances with a single and a walk.
- Amanda Flynn also registered a hit and drove in the lone Jaguar run, and Kassidy Wilcox had a double.
- LSU had four players post multi-hit efforts, led by three-hit performances from Aliyah Andrews and Taylor Pleasants. Andrews also scored three runs, stole a pair of bases and drove in a run, while Pleasants had a four-RBI night.
- Morgan Cummins was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Savannah Stewart was perfect in her two at-bats with a double and a triple to go along with two runs scored and two RBI.
- Ali Kilponen (6-1) went the distance, striking out nine in her five innings of work in the circle for LSU.

GAME FACTS
- Andrews doubled to left to start the Tiger first and then moved up 60 feet with her 17th stolen base of the spring. LSU then took a 1-0 lead one pitch later as Pleasant lined a single to left.
- The Tigers extended their lead two innings later with a pair of runs. Stewart lined a double to left marking the third straight inning in which the leadoff batter reached for LSU. Andrews then reached on a bunt single and stole second to put two in scoring position. Pleasants then drove in her second run of the night with a single to left (2-0) and Georgia Clark plated the third run with a sac fly to right to make it 3-0 in favor of LSU.
- South broke through with a run in the top of the fourth. Wilcox doubled to the gap in right center to start the inning. After a ground out advanced pinch runner Caroline Nichols to third and a walk to Gruich, Flynn lined a single to left to give USA its first run of the game (3-1).
- Hardy ran into trouble in the fifth as LSU broke the game open with eight runs on eight hits, a pair of walks and a Jaguar error, all coming with two away in the inning. The freshman righty issued back-to-back walks to Taylor Tidwell and Amanda Doyle. Stewart then followed with her second extra-base hit in as many innings, tripling to right center to plate a pair (5-1). Andrews then recorded her third hit of the night and drove in a run with a squeeze bunt. She would advance on the play on a Jaguar error. Pleasants then drove in her third and fourth runs of the night on a 2-run home run to center to make it 8-1. Two batters later, Clark gave the Tigers an eight-run lead (9-1) with a RBI single through the left side. LSU would go on to score two more runs and extend its lead to 11-1.

NOTES
- Tuesday night's meeting marked the 13th in the all-time series and the 55th against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference.
- With her leadoff single to start the game, M. Nichols extended both her hit streak and reached base safely streaks to five games.
- Wilcox also extended her hit and reached base safely streaks to five games, while Flynn has also gotten on base safely in her last five outings.
- The eight-run sixth for LSU marked the third time this season (Minnesota, 2/8) that an opponent has scored eight runs in an inning versus the Jaguars, which also ties for third-most allowed in a single game.
- M. Nichols posted her eight multi-hit game of the season and the 25th of her career, tying her with former Jag Kaitlyn Griffith for 20th on the career list in the category.
- Kamdyn Kvistad saw her five-game hit streak and her 13-game on-base streak come to an end Tuesday night.
- The key stat of the game with runners on as South was just 1-for-12 (.083), while LSU was 10-for17 (.588).

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the fourth inning and the offense:
"We were in the game going into the fourth despite not playing our best ball. We get two quick outs in that inning, but then walk the 7 and 8-hole hitters, and then just couldn't get the third out. Offensively, we did not put together enough quality at-bats. We have to put the ball in play more especially with runners in scoring position.

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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