MOBILE, Ala. – Kamdyn Kvistad, Abby Allen and Victoria Ortiz each homered Tuesday night as the University of South Alabama softball team picked up a 10-2, run-rule victory over Nicholls State at Jaguar Field.

Kvistad was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a home run, scored a pair of runs and drove in a career-best five runs. Ortiz reached in all four of her plate appearances, as she was 3-for-3 with a walk, to go along with a pair of runs scored and three RBI. Allen was also perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a run scored, a walk and a pair of runs driven in. Kennedy Cronan also posted her seventh multi-hit game of the spring as she was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (18-11) will begin a four-game Sun Belt road swing Wednesday night as the Jaguars travel to take on Troy at the Troy Softball Complex. First pitch versus the Trojans is set for 6 p.m.

SOUTH ALABAMA vs. NICHOLLS
Date: 4/6
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Final Score: South Alabama 10, Nicholls 2 (6 inn.)
Records: South Alabama (18-11), Nicholls (8-17)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Allie Hughen (5-4)  LP – Taryn Westbrook (2-5)
Home Runs: USA: Kamdyn Kvistad (6), Abby Allen (1), Victoria Ortiz (3); NICH: Alexa Poche' (3)

GAME FACTS
- Nicholls had a scoring opportunity in the top of the second. Meliss Gossen walked on four-straight to start the second and then moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Emma Holland walked to put a pair of runners on, but Hughen was able to get Yasmeen Williams looking at a called third strike on the outside corner.to get out of the inning.
- South Alabama erupted for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the second. Cronan drove a 3-1 pitch and lined the ball off the base of the wall in center to start the bottom half of the inning. Kvistad then plated the Jag shortstop and gave South a two-run advantage with her sixth home run of the spring. Ortiz battled back from a 0-2 count and worked it full before lining a single through the left side of the infield. The right fielder then moved up a base on sac bunt by Belle Wolfenden and came around to score as Allen homered over the wall in left (4-0).
- Like the second, Nicholls had the leadoff batter reach courtesy of a free pass as Kennedy Hebert walked on four-straight out of the zone. Hebert stole second with one out and Samantha Gwiazda drew the Colonels' second walk of the inning to put runners at first and second. Holland then reached on an error to keep the inning alive and load the bases, but Hughen was able to get Nicholls pinch hitter Skylar Hamilton looking to get out of the jam.
- Corynn Major broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff single back up the middle to start the fifth, and Nicholls later placed runners at the corners with two outs in the frame after Hebert's infield single. Gossen then drove in a run with a double to the gap in left center (4-1).
- In the bottom half of the fifth, Abby Krzywiecki (error) and Cronan (single) reached to start the frame. Kvistad then drove in her third and fourth runs of the night as she lined a double to the gap in left center, extending the South lead to 6-1, and advanced to third on the throw home. Ortiz then unloaded on a 3-1 pitch for the Jaguars' third, two-run home run of the night, this one making it 8-1.
- Poche' led off the sixth with a solo home run – her second of the season – to narrow the deficit for Nicholls to six (8-2).
- South Alabama sealed the eight-run victory the next half inning. Krzywiecki singled to begin the frame and after a wild pitch moved Jag pinch runner Mackenzie Brasher up a base, Kvistad drove in her fifth run of the evening with a single back up the middle (9-2). Ortiz then double to center allowing Kvistad to score from first and give South the walk-off win (10-2).
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NOTES
- Tuesday's game marked the 20th in the all-time series and the 11th at Jaguar Field. South Alabama has won 12 of the last 13 series meetings and improved to 9-2 on its home field.
- It was also the 65th meeting against a Southland Conference member and the third this season by the Jags against the league. The Jaguars are 3-0 against the league this season and 50-15 overall.
- With her leadoff double in the second, Cronan extended her reached-base-safely streak to seven games, which is the longest current streak by a Jag.
- The two-run by Kvistad was her team-leading sixth of the season and her first since March 10 at Ole Miss. It was also the first home run by a Jag since game three of the Coastal Carolina series back on March 21. Kassidy Wilcox and Wolfenden both homered in that contest as well.
- The home run was the 24th of Kvistad's career, moving her into a tie with Haley Hopkins (2009-12) for fifth on the program list.  – The two extra-base hits also marked the 45th and 46th of Kvistad's career, moving her into eighth place in the category passing former Jag Stephanie Pilkington (2013-16). In her four years with the program, Kvistad now has 22 doubles and one triple to go along with the 24 home runs.
- The home run by Allen was the first career hit for the Jag freshman designated player.
- Last time South Alabama hit three home runs in a game came on April 20, 2019 when the Jaguars hit four – Ortiz (2), Katelyn Gruich and Cronan – did so against ULM.
- The two-hit performance marked the 23rd career multi-hit game for Cronan, placing her 22nd in the category.
- Kvistad also posted her 33rd career multi-hit outing and her 21st multi-RBI game in the win, moving her into a three-way tie for 11th in each of those respective categories.
- The three hits and three RBI marked both the 19th game of Ortiz's career with multiple hits and her 10th multi-RBI performance.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game:
 "I thought tonight was great, especially going into the week we're about to go into. It was great to get our sticks going. We took a break [this past weekend] and came back into this week ready to work. I thought we were really good [tonight], and that the rest did [our players] good. We were able to come out here and have quality at-bats. It was good to see us get going offensively tonight."
- On the quick turnaround with the game at Troy Wednesday night and then the weekend series at Texas State:
"We have to turn it around quickly. We have two very good-quality opponents coming up, so we know we're going to have our hands full and we're going to have to work hard."

Outfielder Victoria Ortiz
- On her performance at the plate:
"I've needed to step up for this team for a while and I just kept it simple tonight, and just worked through the middle. Good things happen when you keep it simple. We had a rough weekend [at Louisiana] and this win gives us so much momentum going the rest of this week."

Designated Player Abby Allen
- On her offensive performance:
"It was big. Today was really just a slow your mind down and let your barrel work kind of day and it paid off."
- On the break:
"It was good taking a break physically and mentally and we were at where we needed to be today."

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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