MOBILE, Ala. – After not scoring until the sixth inning in the series opener, the University of South Alabama softball team's offense put up runs in four of the first five innings and junior pitcher Jenna Hardy tossed her third-straight, complete-game shut out as the Jags clinched the Sun Belt Conference series with a 7-0 win over Texas State Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Field.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (12-13, 5-0 SBC) will close out the series versus the Bobcats on Sunday. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. 

Date: 3/19
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Final Score: South Alabama 7, Texas State 0
Records: South Alabama (12-13, 5-0 SBC), Texas State (13-12, 1-4 SBC) 
Pitchers of Record: WP – Jenna Hardy (5-7)  LP – Karsen Pierce (3-2)
Home Runs: USA: Abby Allen (4)

SCORING
- USA (2nd Inn.) | Victoria Ortiz steals home, unearned (1-0, 2 out)
- USA (3rd Inn.) | Caroline Nichols steals home, (2-0, 1 out)
- USA (3rd Inn.) | Mackenzie Brasher scored on a passed ball, unearned (3-0, 2 out)
- USA (4th Inn.) | Stephanie Gonzalez doubled to right center, RBI; Ortiz scored from third (4-0, 1 out)
- USA (4th Inn.) | Nichols grounded out to second, RBI; pinch runner Janeah Finney scored from third, unearned (5-0, 2 out)
- USA (5th Inn.) | Allen homered to center, RBI (6-0, 0 out)
- USA (6th Inn.) | Gonzalez fly out to left, sacrifice, RBI; Kamdyn Kvistad scored from third (7-0, 1 out)

GAME FACTS
- After allowing a leadoff single to Anna Jones to start the top of the third, Hardy went on to retire 15 of the final 16 batters with the only base runner during that stretch coming on a Jaguar error.
- South Alabama broke through with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. Ortiz lined a single to center and South then put runners at the corners after Belle Wolfenden reached on a Bobcat error. Wolfenden raced for second and on the throw down, Ortiz delayed her break for home plate, sliding across to give the Jags the 1-0 advantage. 
- The Jags tacked on two more runs their next time up. With one away, South put runners at the corners after back-to-back hits and then executed the double steal for the second time in as many frames as Nichols slid home. Brasher moved all the way around to third on the play and then came home to make it 3-0 on a passed ball.
- South Alabama scored two runs for the second straight inning in the fourth. Ortiz walked to lead off the inning and them moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Gonzalez plated Ortiz with a double off the wall in right center. The second run of the frame came on Nichols' RBI ground out, which scored Finney to make it 5-0.
- Allen led off the fifth and worked the count full before blasting her fourth home run of the spring to center field to give the Jags a 6-0 lead. South later loaded the bases after an infield single by Kvistad and walks to Ortiz and Woldenden. Gonzalez then lifted a ball to left that was deep enough to drive in her second run of the afternoon, scoring Kvistad from third (7-0).
- Ortiz reached all four of her plate appearances recording a hit and three walks, while scoring a pair of runs.
- Eight of the nine starters had one hit, while Wolfenden drew a walk.
- Hardy scattered three hits, struck out six and didn't allow a walk. She only allowed four total base runners in the win.
- Like Olivia Lackie in game one, Hardy did an excellent job of getting ahead of batters as she threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 24 batters she faced.

NOTES
- With the win, South clinches it's second-straight SBC series and wins its sixth-straight in the series with the Bobcats. 
- The shut out was also the third the Jags against Texas State in the 23-game series versus.
- The complete-game, shut out by Hardy marked her second of the week and third-straight. She has now tossed 29.2 scoreless innings dating back to her outing versus Dartmouth (3/6).
- South Alabama has now won six of its last seven home-opening, conference series and 12 of 16 overall.
- As a staff, South Alabama has allowed just six total runs over its current seven-game win streak, while scoring 44 runs offensively during that same stretch. 
- Allen extended her reached base safely streak to 21 games with her fifth-inning home run. The streak is now tied with former Jags Chloe Rathburn (2014) and Brittani Reid (2019) for sixth-longest in program history.
- Allen's home run was just the second this spring to lead off an inning by a Jag.
- Allen drew her team-leading 18th walk in the sixth inning, one of seven by South in the game.
- The five stolen bases by South were a new season high for the club.
- With her walk, Kvistad has now drawn 65 free passes for her career, which ranks 10th all-time at South.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the offense giving early run support to Jenna Hardy: 
"The big thing was just applying pressure [early], that was our goal going in. From the offensive standpoint, we've been seeing the ball and applying pressure. So, we were just trying to apply pressure the entire game. I thought Jen [Hardy] came in and did a great job on the mound doing the same thing."
- On Hardy's last three starts: 
"She's just competing and playing ball, that's been the big thing. Before, every now and then she would have a lapse and hang a pitch. Now, she's not doing that. I'm super proud of her and that is something that she's worked really hard on. She knew what she needed to do and what adjustments she needed to make and she stepped up and did it."
- On clinching the series versus Texas State: 
"This is a good team. With their history they have in our conference, just to be able to come out and put another decisive win on the board is huge. Now, we just have to take this into tomorrow and finish this thing off."

Senior OF Victoria Ortiz
- On her approach at the plate: 
"I was just stressing discipline to myself at the plate, it was something that I really wanted to do this week. I just didn't swing at pitches that I didn't want to swing at. I just let the ball come to me and did what I wanted with it."
- On the offense providing early run support: 
"We started a little later yesterday, obviously. So, our plan was to attack from the start. We didn't score in the first inning but after that we were pushing. We just wanted to jump on them early and often."
- On the series win: 
"It's awesome. We just want to keep rolling. This is a big win and a big series win for us. We are just going to keep rolling to the next."

Junior P Jenna Hardy
- On what's led to her recent success: 
"My team has my back through and through and the coaches give us everything we need to put it into the books and work it out."
- On the importance of the early run support: 
"It was a big deal. Obviously, yesterday was tough on any pitcher to go through and fight the way that Liv [Olivia Lackie] did. Having early run support really makes a difference because you feel like you can relax more and just let loose."
- On getting ahead early on in counts: 
"Throwing first pitch strikes is a really big thing that we focus on and just going at the batters."

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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