BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of South Alabama softball team dropped a pair of games Saturday, falling to Illinois, 3-2 and 14th-ranked LSU 8-1 at the Tiger Classic held at Tiger Park.

The Illini scored a run in the bottom of the fifth and South Alabama left six runners on base over the final three innings, while the Tigers used a six-run fourth inning to break open a tie ball game.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (1-3) will continue on the road as the Jags travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on 2021 NCAA runner up Florida State. First pitch versus the Seminoles is set for 1 p.m. (CT) at JoAnne Graf Field.

TIGER CLASSIC 
Date: 2/12
Place: Tiger Park (Baton Rouge, La.)

Game 1: South Alabama vs. Illinois
Final Score: Illinois 3, South Alabama 2
Records: Illinois (2-1), South Alabama (1-2)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Lauren Wiles (1-1)  LP – Jenna Hardy (0-1)

SCORING
- ILLINI (2nd Inn.) | Kelly Ryono doubled down right field line, RBI; Kailee Powell scored from second (0-1, 1 out)
- ILLINI (2nd Inn.) | Danielle Davis doubled down right field line, RBI; Powell scored from third (0-2, 2 outs)
- USA (4th Inn.) | Abby Allen tripled off the wall in right center, RBI; Kennedy Cronan scored from first (1-2, 1 out)
- USA (4th Inn.) | Stephanie Gonzalez singled back up the middle, RBI; Allen scored from third (2-2, 1 out)
- ILLINI (5th Inn.) | M Ward singled back up the middle, RBI; Davis scored from second (2-3, 1 out)

GAME FACTS
- Illinois' two runs n the bottom of the second came after three-straight doubles.
- After leaving a runner on two of its first three innings, South Alabama's offense scored two runs on three hits in the fourth.
- Ryono doubled off the base of the wall in left to put a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth, but Hardy was able to get a ground out to end the inning. 
- Illinois added a run to retake the lead in the bottom half of the fifth, but with two runners aboard, Gabby Stagner snagged a liner to end the frame.
- South had scoring opportunities each of the final three innings, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, two on in the sixth and the tying run on base in the seventh, and left 10 runners on base in the game. 
- Illinois left just four runners on base.
- Eight batters in the Jag lineup were credited with a base hit, while all but two got into the hit column for the Illini.
- Of Illinois' eight hits, five – all doubles – went for extra bases.
- Despite being credited with the loss, Hardy pitched well for South as she struck out five and didn't walk a batter, wile recording 59 strikes in her 75 pitches thrown.
- Ryono was the lone player from either team to finish with multiple hits as she was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and a RBI.
- In her complete-game effort, Wiles struck out 11 Jag batters.

NOTES
- True freshmen Stagner and Stephanie Gonzalez earned their first career starts at third and designated player, respectively.
- Stagner singled back up the middle in her first at-bat to lead off the third for her first collegiate hit, while Gonzalez made the most of her first hit as a Jag with the RBI single in the fourth.
- Saturday's meeting was the sixth all-time in the series versus Illinois. The two clubs have now met four of the last five seasons. The six meetings against the Illini rank as the most against a Big 10 opponent. South took the first three meetings of the series, but the Illini have now won each of the last three.
- The Jags are also scheduled to face Ohio State on Friday in game two of THE Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla.
- With Allen's fourth-inning triple, South Alabama has recorded a three-bagger in two of its first three games in 2022. As a team, USA had six triples last spring.
- Both of Allen's hits this season have gone for extra bases.
- With her infield single, Caroline Nichols is the only Jag to have a hit in each of the first three games for South. 

Game 2: South Alabama at No. 14 LSU
Final Score: LSU 7, South Alabama 1
Records: LSU (3-0), South Alabama (1-3)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Ali Kilponen (2-0)   LP – Olivia Lackie (0-1)
Home Runs: LSU: Shelbi Sunseri 2 (3), Georgia Clark 2 (3)

SCORING
- USA (3rd Inn.) | Caroline Nichols singled to left center, RBI; Odalys Cordova scored from third (0-0, 2 outs)
- LSU (3rd Inn.) | Shelbi Sunseri homered to center, RBI (1-0, 1 out)
- LSU (4th Inn.)  Taylor Pleasants doubled down first-base line, 2 RBI; Danieca Coffey scored from third and Sydney Peterson scored from second (1-1, 2 outs)
- LSU (4th Inn.) | Sunseri homered to left center, 3 RBI; Ciara Briggs scored from third (1-3, 2 outs)
- LSU (4th Inn.) | Georgia Clark homered to center, RBI (1-6, 2 outs)
- LSU (6th Inn.) | Clark homered to left center, RBI (1-7, 2 outs)

GAME FACTS
- Cordova singled to center and moved up to third with some aggressive base running as she slid in safely at third on Emma Kropp's sacrifice bunt. One batter later, Nichols lined a single into left center to score Cordova.
- Cordova's base hit was the first of the game for South after Kilponen had sat down the first six Jaguar batters in order.
- LSU broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth with six runs on four hits, including back-to-back home runs from Sunseri and Clark, all coming with two outs in the inning.
- Eight of the nine runs combined scored in the contest came with two outs in an inning: LSU (7) and South Alabama (1)
- Kilponen retired South Alabama in order in the ??1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th and she retired the final 13 batters of the contest after allowing Kvistad's single to begin the Jaguar fourth.
- LSU left runners at second and third in both the first and second innings, and then two more in the bottom of the fifth.

NOTES
- Saturday marked the 15th series meeting between the two clubs. All but one of those meetings have come in Baton Rouge.
- The two meetings this weekend marked the first time since 2014 that South and LSU have squared off multiple times in the same season,
- Since defeating LSU, 2-1 in Baton Rouge back on Feb. 15, 2014, South has been held to just three runs over the last eight meetings.?? Tigers have outscored USA ?? in those contests.
- The RBI by Nichols was just the third in her Jaguar career. She has now had a hit in each of the first four games to start 2022.
- Sunseri is the first player from an opposing team to record two home runs in a game since Coastal Carolina's Kassidy Smith (4/6/19). It also marks just the 11th time it has happened in program history. 
- Clark's solo shot in the bottom of the sixth was her second of the contest, marking the first time a pair of individuals have recorded two home runs in the same game against South Alabama.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On her thoughts on the weekend: 
"We were challenged this weekend and had some spots where we were really good and some areas where we have to take a step forward. We have adjustments we need to make as we move into another challenging week."

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—