STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern scored in all but one inning, including a four-run fourth as the Eagles defeated the University of South Alabama softball team, 9-1 in five innings in game one of the series at Eagle Field.

Meredith Keel and Caroline Nichols recorded South's two hits, while Abby Allen walked.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (25-14, 12-6 SBC) will take on the Eagles in game two of the series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. (CT) at Eagle Field.

SOUTH ALABAMA at GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Date: 4/30
Place: Eagle Field (Statesboro, Ga.)

Final Score: Georgia Southern 9, South Alabama 1 (5 inns.)
Records: Georgia Southern (12-25, 4-14 SBC), South Alabama (25-14, 12-6 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Aaliyah Garcia (5-6)  LP – Olivia Lackie (15-7)
Home Runs: GS: Bailee Wilson (4)

GAME FACTS
- Ashlynn Gunter drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the first and with two outs in the inning, Wilson drove a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left to give the Eagles the early 2-0 advantage.
- Keel singled to left with one away in the top of the third and moved into scoring position on a ground out. One batter later, the Jag third baseman came around to score (1-2) on Caroline Nichols's single to center and a GS error.
- The Eagles got the run back in the bottom half of the inning. Mekhia Freeman singled with two outs and Faith Shirley walked to put two aboard. Wilson then drove in her third run of the game as she went the other way with a single to right (1-3).
- Georgia Southern had the leadoff runner reach in its half of the fourth as Allyssah Mullis singled back up the middle. Pinch runner Alisha House moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt and then came around to score on Jess Mazur's RBI single to left, extending the Eagle lead to 4-1. Shayla Smith walked on four pitches and Ashlynn Gunter reached on an error to load the bases. Smith then came in to score the second run of the inning on a RBI ground out by Freeman (unearned) to make it 5-1.
- Allen – who looked as if she had homered earlier in her at-bat – walked to stat the fifth for the Jags. Two batters later, South placed runners at second and third on a two-base error by the Eagles' shortstop, but Garcia was able to get a ground out to short and a strikeout to leave the two Jag runners in scoring position.
- Wilson lined a single back up the middle – her third hit of the game – to start the bottom half of the fifth. Mullis and Johnston reached on back-to-back singles with one out to load the bases with one out in the frame. Mazur (fielder's choice) and Smith (single) plated two more runs to make it 7-1. Freeman bounced a single back up the middle and deflected out into shallow right allowing two more runs to score and give Georgia Southern the 9-1 win.

NOTES
- The first-inning home run allowed in the opening frame was just the second given up by Jaguar pitching in the first this spring.
- Kennedy Cronan saw both her six-game hit streak and eight-game reached base safely streak come to an end.
- Kamdyn Kvistad reached on a hit by pitch with one out in the top of the second inning to extend her reached base safely streak to seven games.
- The run-rule loss is the first in the series for the Jaguars and the first time they have been run-ruled this season.
- The two hits recorded by South Alabama marked the fifth time this spring that the club has been held to that tally.
- Five of Georgia Southern's nine runs were scored with two outs on four two-out hits.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game:
"They outplayed us today. The team that plays best wins and they played better than we did."

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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