MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team picked up a 3-1 victory in the opener, but saw its rally attempt come up short as the Jaguars fell 7-4 to UT Arlington in game two of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon against the Mavericks at Jaguar Field.

South Alabama scored a run in each of the first three innings and then added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to take the opener. UTA put up a three-run second and a four-run fifth in game two before holding on for a thre3-run victory in the finale.

Victoria Ortiz drove in a pair in the opener and recorded her fourth home run of the spring, while Olivia Lackie tossed her 10th complete-game of the season and earned her 13th win striking out nine Mavericks.

Five players posted multi-hit games in game two, led by three hits apiece from Mackenzie Brasher and Meredith Keel.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (22-13, 10-5 SBC) will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for its final regular-season midweek game of the season at Southern Miss on Tuesday night. First pitch versus the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. at the USM Softball Complex.

SOUTH ALABAMA vs. UTA (DH)
Date: 4/17
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Game 1
Final Score: South Alabama 3, UTA 1
Records: South Alabama (22-12, 10-4 SBC), UTA (13-24, 6-7 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Olivia Lackie (13-6)  LP – JoJo Valencia (3-4)
Home Runs: USA: Victoria Ortiz (4); UTA: KJ Murphy (5)

GAME FACTS
- Ortiz put the Jags out in front early (1-0) as she drove a 2-0 pitch from Valencia high over the wall in right center for her fourth home run of the spring.
- The Mavericks had runners at the corners with one out the next half inning after a double and a bunt single, but Courtney Ogle was picked off at third when Kennedy Cronan threw behind her after Reagan Hukill stole second. Lackie then was able to get Emily Evans to strikeout and leave the UTA runner standing at second.
- South tacked on an unearned run in its half of the second. Cronan walked to leadoff the inning and the Jaguars put runners at the corner after a fielder's choice and errant throw. Belle Wolfenden then laid down a squeeze bunt out in front of the plate that allowed Amanda Flynn – pinch running for Cronan – to score and double the South Alabama advantage, 2-0.
- For the second straight inning, South Alabama had the leadoff batter reach with a walk as Caroline Nichols looked at four-straight out of the zone. Nichols then swiped her 10th base of the season to move into scoring position. Nichols was moved over to third on a ground out and came into score on Ortiz's ground out to second.
- Murphy homered to straight-away center to lead off the top of the fourth for the Mavs and trim the Jaguar advantage to two (3-1).
- Kenedy Hines worked the count full for UTA before drawing a two-out walk, and the inning was kept alive when Jessica Carreon reached on a Jaguar error, but Lackie was able to get out of the jam as she got Jadyn Erickson looking – her third strikeout of the inning.
- Cronan reached for the second time to start an inning as she singled to begin the bottom of the sixth. Kamdyn Kvistad shot a single back up the middle to put a pair of runners on for South Alabama. Wolfenden laid down her second sacrifice bunt of the game one to move both runners in to scoring position. The Jaguars looked as if they had added a run in the inning when Abby Allen flew out to center. Cronan appeared to have scored before the out at third, but the out at third was ruled to have occurred prior to the Jag shortstop touching home.
- Lackie retired the final seven batters that she faced including a clean sixth and seventh innings.

NOTES
- Game one of the doubleheader marked the 20th all-time meeting between the two clubs.
- Ortiz's first-inning home run was the third in the opening frame this season and first since game two of the doubleheader against Appalachian State (3/13). All three have come at home.
- With her two RBI, Ortiz posted her sixth multi-RBI game of the season and the 11th of her Jaguar career.
- It was the fourth of the spring for the Mobile, Ala., native and the 10th of her career. The home run also extended her season-best hit streak six games.
- With her 10 stolen bases, Nichols became the first Jag since Kaleigh Todd (16) to eclipse the double-digit mark in the category since the 2018 season.
- The home run by UTA's Murphy was the 11th leadoff home run allowed to opponents this spring.

Game 2
Final Score: UTA 7, South Alabama 4
Records: UTA (14-24, 7-7 SBC), South Alabama (22-13, 10-5 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Kenedy Hines (4-9)  LP – Kaitlyn Hughes (2-2)  SV – JoJo Valencia (1)  
Home Runs: USA: Abby Krzywiecki (5); UTA: Aileen Garcia (3)

GAME FACTS
- Brasher singled to left and one batter later, South executed the hit and run perfectly as Ortiz laced a single to center, allowing Brasher to advance to third. Ortiz moved into scoring position on the play when the throw went into third. Krzywiecki followed with an infield single to load the bases, but Hines was able to strike out the next two batters and keep the game scoreless.
- UT Arlington took advantage of the missed opportunity by the Jags and put up three runs – only one earned – in the top of the second. Garcia and Madison Miller walked to start the frame and, both runners moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Darlane Cram –pinch running for Garcia – came around to score and give the Mavs the 1-0 lead on Emily Evans single to center. UT Arlington added two more unearned runs (3-0) in the inning when a ground out was dropped at first to score Miller and an infield hit, scoring Evans on Erickson's infield single.
- Keel lined a single to left and Nichols was able to get a liner to drop just inside the foul line in left to put a pair on for the Jaguars with two outs in the second. Like the opening frame, Hines was able to get the out she needed with a fly out to left to strand two more Jaguar runners.
- Hines and Carreon posted back-to-back infield singles to start the fifth. Two batters later, the Mavericks tacked on another run as Murphy lined a one-out, double to left, scoring Hines (4-0). With two away, Garcia's three-run home run extended UTA's lead to 7-0.
- With two on and two outs in the bottom of the fifth, South Alabama finally broke through on the scoreboard. Abby Krzywiecki blasted her fifth home run of the spring, scoring Nichols (fielder's choice) and Brasher (single) to cut the deficit to 7-3. Cronan then followed with her 12th double of the spring, and Kvistad – who got down early in the count, but fouled off five two-strike pitches – worked the count full before drawing a walk to put a pair on. Garcia was able to get a strikeout to end the inning.
- Keel lined a one-out single back up the middle – her third hit in as many at-bats in the second game of the day – and Nichols dropped in a base hit in shallow right center. Brasher then loaded the bases with an infield single – her third hit of the game. Ortiz pulled the Jags to within three (7-4) as she lifted a sac fly to center, which was deep enough to plate Keel. However, Valencia, who started game one, was able to get a strikeout and hold South to just the one run in the inning.
- The Mavericks loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh after a pair of Jaguar errors and two walks, but Jenna Hardy was able to get a strikeout looking to leave the Maverick base runners stranded and keep the deficit at three.
- Valencia pitched a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning to seal the win for UTA.

NOTES
- Game two marked the 10th all-time series meeting in Mobile and was the Mavericks' first series win at Jaguar Field.
- The start in the circle for Hughes marked the first career start for the Jaguar freshman.
- Ortiz had two hits in the game and three in the doubleheader – extending her hit streak to seven games.
- The two- hit outing marked the sixth multi-hit game of the season and the 20th of Ortiz's Jaguar career, moving her into a tie for 25th all-time in the category.
- The three-run home run by Krzywiecki was the 14th of her South Alabama career. Her two hits marked the sixth-two-hit performance of the season and the 14th game of her career in which she has had two or more hits.
- The three RBI also marked her sixth multi-RBI game of the spring and the 16th of her career.
- Keel, Brasher and Nichols also chipped in with multiple hit performances. Both Keel and Brasher lead the club in that category with 11 on the year, while it was the seventh of the season for Nichols.
- Brasher also now has 16 multi-hit games for her career.
- The 13 hits recorded by the Jaguars were the second-most recorded by the club this season. USA also had 15 in the series finale at Coastal Carolina (3/21).
- Hardy tossed two-and-a-third innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and striking out four.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the missed opportunities:
"We had chances to win two today, but were unable to capitalize in the second game. Defense was solid and we worked out of some jams in both games. Overall, we left too many on base and need to do a better job with that moving forward."

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—