MOBILE, Ala. – Freshman pitcher Olivia Lackie struck out 15 in her complete game shutout of game one,  and Abby Krzywiecki drove in four, including a three-run home run, in game two as the University of South Alabama softball team opened up Sun Belt Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Appalachian State Saturday at Jaguar Field.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (12-8, 2-0 SBC) will look to complete the series sweep when it closes out the series with the Mountaineers on Sunday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.

SOUTH ALABAMA vs. APPALACHIAN STATE (DH)
Date: 3/13
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Game 1
Final Score: South Alabama 1, Coastal Carolina 0
Records: South Alabama (11-8, 1-0 SBC), Appalachian State (11-6, 0-1 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Olivia Lackie (8-3)  LP – Kenzie Loganecker (6-1)

GAME FACTS
- Caroline Nichols battled back from a 0-2 count to lead off the bottom of the first with a single to left. She then moved into scoring position with her fourth steal of the spring. Mackenzie Brasher followed with a single back up the middle to plate Nichols and give South the 1-0 advantage.
- Gabby Buruato reached on an infield single as her ball back up the middle bounced off Lackie's foot – the only base runner allowed by the freshman pitcher – to start the third. Following the Buruato base hit, Lackie would go on to retire the final 15 batters of the game, 10 of which came via strikeout.

NOTES
- With the 1-0 victory, South Alabama has now won 11 of its 15 Sun Belt Conference home openers.
- The meeting marked the second-straight spring that South has opened up conference play versus the Mountaineers.
- Krzywiecki extended her hit streak to six games with her fourth- inning single.
- With her two hits, Brasher posted her seventh game with two or more hits this season and the 12th of her Jag career. It was also the second multi-hit game of the season for Nichols.
- The two-hit performance was Krzywiecki' 11th multi-hit hit game of her career as she finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
- Lackie picked up her eighth win of the season and tossed her fourth complete game, while allowing just the one hit.
- Lackie set a season high in strikeouts and notched her fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season with her 15 strikeouts.
- The 15-strikeout performance is the first by a Jag came in game one of a doubleheader with App State on April 21, 2018 when Devin Brown struck out 16 Mountaineers
- She had multi-strike out innings in all but the third and struck out the side in the second and fourth innings.

Game 2
Final Score: South Alabama 7, Appalachian State 4
Records: South Alabama (12-8, 2-0 SBC), Appalachian State (11-7, 0-2 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Allie Hughen (3-3)  LP – Sydney Holland (3-3)
Home Runs: USA: Abby Krzywiecki (2)

GAME FACTS
- Emma Jones singled to start game two, but the Jaguars defense would not allow White to move passed second after an outstanding diving grab by South Alabama catcher Emma Kropp and then a pair of groundouts.
- In the bottom half of the opening frame, Nichols and Brasher quickly got on base with a pair of singles. With two outs in the inning, Krzywiecki drove a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center to put the Jags up 3-0.
- South put runners at second and third in the bottom of the second after a one-out walk by Keel and a Mountaineer error. Two batters later, Kamdyn Kvistad walked on four-straight out of the zone to load the bases, and Kennedy Cronan cleared the bags with a double to the gap in right center (6-0). Krzywiecki then fought off a full-count pitch and looped a ball into left center to score Cronan from second – her fourth RBI of the day, tying a career high for the senior.
- Caylie Kifer reached in the fifth after earning a walk after a 12-pitch at-bat. Emily Parrott then line a single to left to put a pair on for the Mountaineers. E. Jones followed with a single back up the middle – her second hit of the contest – to score Kifer (7-1) from second and put runners at the corners. E. Jones then stole second and App State plated another run one batter later as Parrott came home on Keri White's RBI ground out.
- Shelby Sloan reached on a pinch-hit, bunt single to start the bottom of the fifth and Kropp was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Nichols loaded the bases with a one-out single, but App State relief pitcher Delani Buckner was able to retire the final two batters of the inning and get out of the jam.
- App State loaded the bases with one out the next half inning after a pair of hits and a Jaguar error. Allie Sewell reached on an error on a play that initially was ruled an out. Pinch runner Addison Jones scored the first run of the inning on Kifer's infield single and Sidney Martin came in on Parrott's sac fly to right, cutting the South Alabama lead to three (7-4).
- Baylee Morton singled to center with one out in the seventh, but Kaitlyn Hughes struck out Kayt Houston, and Kropp threw out Mountaineer pinch runner Abby Cunningham attempting to steal to end the game.

NOTES
- Game two of the doubleheader marked 20th series meeting and the 11th in Mobile. The Jaguars improved to 16-4 in the series and 9-2 in Mobile.
- The doubleheader sweep marks the ninth time in the last 11 chances that South has won the SBC home-opening series.
- The home run for Krzywiecki was the 11th of her career and the second of the spring.
- Nichols posted a career high in hits with her 3-for-4 day at the plate, while also scoring twice.
- Krzywiecki and Ortiz – the 18th multi-hit game of her career – also had two hits apiece in the win.
- It was the 12th multi-hit game of Krzywiecki's career and the second of the doubleheader for the Brighton, Mich., native. The two hits also extend her hit streak to seven.
- With her four RBI in game two, Krzywiecki has driven in multiple runs 13 times during her career.
- Krzywiecki also drove in four runs at Georgia State on April 13, 2019.
- The three RBI performance marked the 15 time Cronan has driven in multiple runs, which moved her into a five-way tie for 17th on the career chart at South Alabama.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On starting conference play with a pair of wins today:
"Obviously, you are looking for wins when you start conference play, so it's a great start for us. I thought we played well in some places and not so well in some places, so tomorrow's goal will be trying to put it all together. There are some places in there where I think we need to have some better at-bats. We left some runners on base where we had a chance to finish a game. We've been talking a lot about playing for seven innings: pitching, hitting and quality at-bats for seven innings. I thought in places we were good, but not complete for the entire day, so that will be our goal tomorrow."
- On room for improvement heading into tomorrow's series finale:
"I thought today we were a seven or eight out of 10 as far as where we needed to be. To still get two wins with that, you will always be happy with a win. We just need to know tomorrow we need to be better."
- On Olivia Lackie and Abby Krzywiecki:
 "I thought our lefties had a great day at the plate; they really put pressure on them. [Abby] Krzywiecki stepped up and had a great game. Pitching was really good throughout. There were a couple places in there with seeing-eye ground balls, but I never really thought they got squared up, just some more stuff dropping in front of outfielders. I thought for the most part we pounded the zone, we attacked them. I'm happy with that part of it and we have to come out and do that again tomorrow."

Pitcher Olivia Lackie
- On getting the early outs:
"It is a confidence booster, but I know I have my team behind me if I make a mistake or if I throw something over the plate, that they are there to make a play behind me."
- On play as a whole:
"For the first game coming out with a one-nothing win and playing the way we did defensively was extremely good. I think our bats woke up more in the second game. I don't think we played a complete game, and that's something we talked about, but I think we will get better as conference play goes on."

Infielder Abby Krzywiecki
- On her good day at the plate:
"For me, today was a big 'slow it down' day. I have been getting sped up at practice. I have been trying to get calm and not try to do too much because it's a team sport. I need to pass the bat along to my teammates, so staying calm at the plate."
- On opening conference play with the two wins:
"It's very important to come out and get the two wins today. We've been working hard as a team to get that team chemistry and find those games you can play from the first pitch to the last pitch. Today, we played well, but we could have ended it a little sooner, but we did have good at-bats, good pitching and good defense. I think a lot of things are coming into place for us"

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).

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