MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team put up nine runs on two hits and seven walks in the bottom of the sixth to rally back and pick up a 13-9 win over Appalachian State at Jaguar Field Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Jaguars clinch the Sun Belt Conference series.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (8-15, 2-0 SBC) will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday when it concludes the three-game series versus the Mountaineers. First pitch set for noon at Jaguar Field.

Date: 3/7
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Final Score: South Alabama 13, Appalachian State 9
Records: South Alabama (8-15, 2-0 SBC), Appalachian State (11-9, 0-2 SBC)

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Kamdyn Kvistad drove in three and hit her second home run of the season, while also walking twice and scoring twice.
- Kassidy Wilcox and Allie Hughen each drove in a pair of runs and scored once, with the later also walking two times.
- Katelyn Gruich and Jordyn Calderon each drew three free passes, while Gruich also scored twice.
- MC Nichols reached base safely in three of her plate appearances with a hit and two walks of her own. She also scored two runs and drove in a run.
- Appalachian State received two-hit performances from Baylee Morton, Caylie Kifer and Gabby Burato.
- Morton, Burato and Emily Parrott also drove in two runs each, while Kifer scored twice and Delaney Smith crossed home plate three times.

GAME FACTS
- The Mountaineers struck first with a run in the top of the first. With two outs, Morton drove a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left for her fifth home run of the spring, giving App the early 1-0 advantage.
- South Alabama answered back and took the lead (2-1) in the bottom half of the opening frame as Kvistad worked the count full and blasted a two-run home run over the centerfield wall, her second long ball of the season.
- The Jags added to their lead in the bottom of the third. Kvistad and Gruich walked to start the inning and then after moving up a base, pinch runner Caroline Nichols came home to score on Kassidy Wilcox's RBI ground out (3-1). One batter later, Hughen plated another run with a single back up the middle to score Gruich and make it 4-1.
- Hughen ran into some trouble in the top of the fourth as the Mountaineers scored three runs on four hits to tie the game back up at 4-4. Thorp cut the App State deficit to 4-2 with a one-out solo shot to left. With runners at the corners later in the inning, Burato tripled to center field to score Russel and Smith who had both walked.
- South left a pair of runners on in its half of the fourth and Appalachian State took advantage of the missed opportunity as the Mountaineers scored an unearned run. Parrot reached on a two-base Jaguar error and was sacrificed to third before scoring on Morton's RBI double to right center (6-5).
- The Mountaineers added to their lead with a pair of two-out runs. With runners at second and third, Parrott singled off Gruich's glove which allowed the ball to roll into shallow center field behind the bag at second, scoring Kifer and Smith and gave App State a 7-4 lead.
- In the bottom of the sixth, App State struggled to find the zone, which aided South in erupting for nine runs in the inning. The Jaguars scored the nine runs on just two hits, but were able to draw seven walks, including four with the bases loaded. The Mountaineers also committed a pair of errors in the inning.
- Amanda Flynn drew the first bases-loaded walk to get the scoring started and Wilcox followed with a RBI single to right. Calderon and Hughen then both walked to plate a run and give South the lead again. Emma Kropp kept the scoring going with a pinch-hit run-scoring single back up the middle to make it 10-7. The final three runs of the frame came on a pair of Mountaineer errors to extend South Alabama's lead to 13-7.
- Appalachian State scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but Lexi Hutchins retired was able to get Parrot to ground out into a fielder's choice to end the game.

NOTES
- With the two wins over the first two games of the series, South Alabama has now won four of its last five home-opening league series.
- South Alabama also improves to 14-3 all-time versus the Mountaineers and 7-1 on its home field in the series.
- The first-inning by Kvistad not only extended her reached base safely streak to 12 games, which tied a career long for the junior, but was the 18th of her career tying her with Gruich and former Jag Jenny Stevens for sixth-most all-time.
- The multi-RBI game for Kvistad marked the 16th of her career.
- The sacrifice bunt marked the 20th sacrifice hit of MC Nichols' career, moving her into a tie for third all-time in that category.
- The nine-run sixth inning tied for seventh-most runs in an inning in program history. It was also the most put up by the Jaguars in an inning since recording a 10 spot against Appalachian State last season in Boone.
- The nine-runs scored in the sixth inning tied for the most runs scored by South in a single inning at Jaguar Field, matching the nine runs put up against Belmont in the second inning on Feb. 17, 2007.
- The game was also the 915th of head coach Becky Clark's career and her 725th at the helm of the Jaguars.
- It was also the program's 300th regular-season game against a Sun Belt Conference opponent.
- The 13 walks drawn by South Alabama tied both a Jaguar Field record and a single-game program mark set back on Feb. 16, 2019 against Mercer.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On getting the win:
"I think you have to know how to win pretty, you have to know how to win ugly, you have to know how to win close ones and you have to know how to win the blowouts. For us this was more about fighting and winning. There are places in there that we need to clean up. We gave them some runs, and we'll address that that and try to clean it up tomorrow, but to see what our offense was able to put together was encouraging. Every time we gave up the lead we were able to claw back in the game. I love big innings; it is great offensively to score a lot of runs. We are trying on the defensive side and from pitching not to give up the big innings. Overall, I thought there were things that we need to do different, but I will take a conference win every single day and it gives us something to work on going into tomorrow."

Kamdyn Kvistad, Jr. 1B
- On the series win:
"It is a good win for the team and these are two good team in a row. They were both great team wins for us and it is a good boost of confidence starting out conference play. I think it sets us up well moving forward, and going into each series we know what we have to do. We have to continue to work hard and play as a team."
- On her performance:
"It felt good. I am seeing the ball well. I'm just looking for a pitch to hit and building off that each at bat. I'm taking it one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time. It's feeling good and I feel like it's about time I start squaring the ball up."

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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