TROY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team trailed 6-0 to tournament host Troy after four innings Friday night, but scored 10 unanswered runs to complete the comeback and eliminate the Trojans at the Sun Belt Conference Championship held at the Troy Softball Complex.

The comeback ties for the largest comeback in program history, matching the feat against ULM during the 2010 season. Meredith Keel and Belle Wolfenden each had had big nights driving in three and four runs, respectively. Keel had a three-run double in the fifth and Wolfenden blasted a three-run shot over the wall in left center in the top of the seventh.

Jenna Hardy (4-2) picked up a pair of wins as South Alabama defeated Appalachian State earlier in the day.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (29-18) advances to face (2) Texas State on Saturday at 11 a.m., and with a win will face (1) Louisiana at 2:30 p.m. in the championship game.  

(4) SOUTH ALABAMA vs. (5) APPALACHIAN STATE
Date: 5/14
Place: Troy Softball Complex (Troy, Ala.)

Final Score: (4) South Alabama 2, (5) Appalachian State 1
Records: South Alabama (28-18)  LP – Appalachian State (27-19)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Jenna Hardy (3-2)  SV – Olivia Lackie (4)  LP – Kenzie Loganecker (14-8)

GAME FACTS
- Mackenzie Brasher reached on a one-out infield single in the opening frame. Two pitches later, Abby Krzywiecki singled through the left side of the infield. Loganecker held the Jags off the board as she closed the inning out with two strikeouts.
- Abby Allen and Bailey Welch led off the Jaguar second with back-to-back infield singles. The two South Alabama runners moved into scoring position on Wolfenden's sacrifice bunt, and with two outs Camryn McLemore delivered her second RBI pinch hit of the tournament as she lined a single to right scoring Allen (1-0). Brasher grounded a single into the hole at short and recorded her second infield hit of the day, this one plating Meredith Keel, who had reached on a fielder's choice (2-0).
- Sydney Russell reached on a fielding error and moved up a base on a sac bunt, but Hardy was able to get a fly out and leave the App State runner stranded with her second strikeout of the game.
- Gabby Burato reached on a two-base error when her fly ball to left center was dropped. With two outs, Emily Parrott lined a triple that was just out of Brasher's reach in right center, cutting South's lead to 2-1. That was the only run allowed by Hardy as she was able to strike out Keri White to end the inning.
- Welch lined a one-out single to left for South in the top of the sixth. Wolfenden laid down her second bunt attempt and the Mountaineers throw to try and get the lead runner was high, placing runners at first and second. The Jaguars were unable to add to their lead, as Loganecker recorded a strikeout looking and a pop out on the infield to end the inning.
- Lackie came in and tossed two perfect innings of relief as she struck out a pair of batters to pick up her fourth save of the season.

NOTES
- Friday's meeting marked the second postseason meeting between the two clubs in the series history. The Jaguars defeated App State 11-0 in five innings on Wednesday.
- With their two hits apiece, Allen and Welch recorded the second multi-hit games of the season for both freshmen.
- The three-hit performance by Brasher tied a career high in hits for the sophomore outfielder and was her 14th multi-hit game of the season. It was also the 19th of her career.
- Brasher moved her hit streak to five games and her reached base safely streak to six.
- The 14 multi-hit games tied Keel's season mark for the most on the club.
- The four saves by Lackie are tied with former Jaguars Hannah Campbell and Kalen McGill for the most by a freshman in program history.

(4) SOUTH ALABAMA vs. (3) TROY
Date: 5/14
Place: Troy Softball Complex (Troy, Ala.)

Final Score: (4) South Alabama 10, (3) Troy 6
Records: South Alabama 10, Troy 6
Pitchers of Record: WP – Jenna Hardy (4-2)  LP – Kynsley Blasingame (6-1)
Home Runs: USA: Belle Wolfenden (4); TROY: Katie Webb (6)

GAME FACTS
- Webb put Troy on the board first and gave the tournament hosts the early lead with a solo home run – her sixth of the spring – over the wall in center. The damage could have been more after a walk and a hit batter, but Lackie was able to get a strikeout looking to end the inning.
- Katie de Leon lined a single to right to start Troy's half of the fourth. Pinch runner Tate Mosely moved up to second when Ashlan Ard's bunt single stayed just fair. Both runners moved into scoring position with nobody out on a wild pitch. Logan Calhoun's liner hit off the base of the wall scoring Mosely, 2-0. Ard was caught too far off the bag at third and was tagged out for the first out of the inning. Jade Sinness reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners. Sinness stole second and two more runs came into score on Webb's double to left, giving the Trojans a 4-0 advantage. Kelly Horne then posted her eighth-home run of the season, this one a two-run shot to left to give the Trojans a 6-0 lead.
- The Jaguars got things going in the top of the fifth, erupting for five runs on three hits. Kamdyn Kvistad reached on a throwing error to start the inning – snapping a steak of 10 straight retired batters by Baker. Abby Allen then walked to put two on for the Jaguars. Bailey Welch then walked to load the bases, and Belle Wolfenden. Keel then cleared the bases as she lined a double that landed in the left center gap and rolled to the wall to cut the deficit to 6-4.
- Pinch hitter Camryn McLemore reached on a walk and Brasher walked on four straight out of the zone to load the bases for the second time in the inning. Troy reliever Kynsley Blasingame was able to retire the next three batters and get out of the inning.
- Troy had a chance to tack on some insurance after putting a pair on after two, two-out walks in the bottom of the sixth, but Hardy induced a ground-ball out to end the inning and hold the Trojans off the board.
- South Alabama capitalized on the missed opportunity in the top of the seventh. Brasher reached with a five-pitch, leadoff walk to start the inning for the Jaguars, and she was into scoring position on a sac bunt by Krzywiecki. Brasher came around to tie the game up (6-6) on an infield single by Cronan. Kvistad followed with a RBI single of her own back up the middle that bounded off the pitcher and shot out to right field, giving South its first lead of the evening at 7-6.
- Allen walked to put a pair on with one away and Wolfenden gave South a little breathing room with a three-run shot over the wall in left center on the first pitch she saw, giving the Jags a 10-6 advantage and capping off the second, five-run inning of the game for South.

NOTES
- The meeting marked the third time in the series that the two in-state rivals have squared off at the conference tournament.
- The two five-run innings marked the second and third time this tournament that the Jags have scored five or more runs in an inning. USA also scored eighth in the fourth inning in their game Wednesday against Appalachian State.
- Friday's game marked the first time since April 11, 2015 versus Georgia Southern that South has put up two five-run innings in the same game.
- With her two hits, Keel recorded her 15th of the season and the 27th of her career
- The three runs driven in tied career high for the third baseman and were a season high. It was also her third multi-RBI game of the spring and the seventh of her career.
- The four RBI for Wolfenden tied a career high for the Jag infielder.
- The six-run deficit that South Alabama overcame tied for the largest come-from-behind win in program history. USA trailed 6-0 heading into the third inning versus ULM on April 10, 2010, but rallied to win 7-6.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the two wins:
"Two gritty wins and overall great day for our program. I am so proud of our fight and toughness. Jenna [Hardy] and Liv [Lackie] gave us everything they had today and our offense worked together for one of the biggest comebacks in our program history. We have to keep this momentum going into tomorrow."

Infielder Belle Wolfenden
- On the deficit and what sparked the team in the dugout:
"In the huddle right before we scored the five runs in the top of the fifth, Coach Clark came to us and asked us what we wanted to fight for. We knew we had to fight for each other, and that's what we did."
- On the three-run home run:
"I knew she was going to come at me, and I was just ready for the pitch. I put a nice, easy swing on the ball and it worked out."

Pitcher Jenna Hardy
- On the wins:
"It's always great to get a 'W'; that's all coach says to us. Whether it's pretty or ugly, it's always great to get a win. A team win like tonight is all you can really hope for, especially in tournament play."
- On coming in with the six-run deficit and her mindset:
"Each inning, I had Abby Krzywiecki in my ear telling me to stay cool, calm and collected, and that we were going to come back. That the offense was going to get me the runs and the defense was going to get outs for us. That's what I focused on. I had my team behind me and we were able to stay in the game. I knew they were going to get me the runs we needed. It all worked out in the end."

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—