MOBILE, Ala. – Led by Gabby Stagner's two, the University of South Alabama softball team tied a Jaguar Field record with four home runs, but Louisiana held off a late rally to take game one of the series, 10-7 Thursday night.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (16-15, 9-1 SBC) will continue the series versus the Ragin' Cajuns on Friday with first pitch set for 6 p.m.

Date: 4/14
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Final Score: Louisiana 10, South Alabama 7
Records: Louisiana (27-10, 13-3 SBC), South Alabama 16-15, 9-2 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Meghan Schormar (7-4)   SV – Sam Landry (1)   LP – Olivia Lackie (9-5)
Home Runs: USA: Victoria Ortiz (7), Gabby Stagner 2 (5), Emma Kropp (2); UL: Alexa Langliers (9)

SCORING
- UL (1st Inn.) | Jourdyn Campbell reached on a fielding error; Stormy Kotzelnick scored from second, unearned (0-1, 1 out) 
- UL (1st Inn.) | Melissa Mayeux tripled to right center, 2 RBI; Campbell scored from third, unearned, Sophie Piskos scored from second, unearned (0-3, 2 out)
- USA (1st Inn.) | Ortiz homered to right center, RBI (1-3, 2 out)
- USA (1st Inn.) | Stagner homered to right center, 2 RBI; Kamdyn Kvistad scored from first (3-3, 2 out)
- UL (3rd Inn.) | Mayeux flied out to left, sacrifice fly, RBI; Campbell scored from third (3-4, 1 out)
- USA (3rd Inn.) | Stagner homered to left, 2 RBI; Mackenzie Brasher scored from second (5-4, 2 out)
- UL (4th Inn.) | Kotzelnick doubled to right center, 2 RBI; Karly Heath scored from third, Kramer Eschete scored from second (5-6, 1 out)
- UL (5th Inn.) | Langeliers homered to left, RBI (5-7, 2 out)
- USA (6th Inn.) | Kropp homered to left center, RBI (6-7, 2 out)
- UL (7th Inn.) | Heath walked, RBI; pinch runner Raina O'Neal scored from third (6-8, 2 out)
- UL (7th Inn.) | Eschete singled to right, 2 RBI; Mayeux scored from third, Langaliers scored from second (6-10, 2 out)
- USA (7th Inn.) | Stagner flied out to center, sacrifice fly, RBI: Brasher scored from third (7-10, 1 out)

GAME FACTS
- Kotzelnick walked to open the game, moved into scoring position and then came into score on a Jaguar error. Mayeux then put the Ragin' Cajuns up 3-0 with a two-run triple to right center. 
- With two away, Ortiz hammered the first pitch she saw over the wall in right center to cut the deficit to 3-1. After a single by Kvistad, Stagner blasted a homered to right center to tie the game at 3-3. 
- UL began its half of the third with back-to-back singles and then retook the lead (4-3) on a sacrifice fly by Mayeux.
- South Alabama answered right back in the bottom half of the inning as Stagner blasted her second two-out, two-run home run of the game to give the Jags the 5-4 advantage.
- Heath and Eschete earned back-to-back walks to start the top of the fourth and after moving into scoring position came around to score on Kotzelnick's double to right center that was just over the head of Jaguar second baseman Belle Wolfenden, scoring a pair of runs for UL (6-5).
- With two away in the fifth, Langeliers homered to left to give Louisiana a 7-5 lead.
- South Alabama did some two-out damage of its own an inning later as Kropp blasted her second home run of the spring over the wall in left center after trailing 0-2 in the count.
- The Ragin' Cajuns scored three insurance runs with two outs in the top of the seventh. UL loaded the bases after an intentional walk to Langeliers, and Heath drew a free pass on four-straight out of the zone to plate a run and make it 8-6.
With the bases again loaded, Eschete lined a single to right to bring in a pair and extend the UL advantage to four (10-6).
- South Alabama's offense didn't quit and tried to mount a seventh-inning rally. Brasher singled with one out and Kvistad and Ortiz then walked to load the bases. Stagner just missed tying the game up as she flirted with her third home run of the night, but the ball was deep enough to bring in Brasher from third. With the tying run at the plate, Landry, who started the game and re-entered in the seventh, was able to get a strikeout to end the game.
- Brasher and Stagner each finished with two hits a piece and scored a pair of runs, while Stagner also drove in a career-high five runs in the loss.
- Mayeux and Langeliers also had two-hit nights and scored a pair of runs to lead the way for UL with the latter driving in three.
- Schormar registered 11 of Louisiana's 14 strikeouts in the contest.
- Of the 17 combined runs, 12 came with two outs: South Alabama (6) and Louisiana (6).
- Louisiana and South Alabama entered the game ranked first and second in the Sun Belt in team earned run average.

NOTES
- This weekend's series marked the first time that at least one of the two teams hasn't been ranked in a national poll since the two clubs met during the 2010 regular-season series in Lafayette, La. (4/17-18).
- Brasher extended her reached base safely streak to 14 games with her third-inning single and recorded her team-leading seventh multi-hit game of the season. She now has 25 career multi-hit efforts, tying her for 20th all-time at South in the category.
- Ortiz has now driven in at least one run in eight of her last 11 outings and nine of South's 11 conference games this spring.
- Stagner (19) and Ortiz (13) have now combined to drive in 32 runs in Sun Belt competition. 
- Four of Stagner's five home runs have come in league play, while all five of Ortiz's seven have also come against conference foes.
- The two home-run performance by Stagner marked the second time this spring (Ortiz vs. Dartmouth, 3/6) that a Jaguar has done so in a game. 
- Stagner is now just the 12th player at South to hit two or more home runs in a game, while it is the 20th time in program history that it has happened.
- The freshman's two home runs also tied a Jaguar Field record and marked the first two home run performance by a South Alabama player on their home field since Katelyn Gruich vs. Southern (4/11/18).
- The last time the Jags hit four home runs in a game was against ULM in game two of a doubleheader in Monroe, La. (4/20/19).
- All four of South's home runs came with two outs. Both of Kropp's career home runs have come in the same situation.
- It is also just the second time in program history that South Alabama has hit four home runs at home in a game with the only other coming against UTA on April 3, 2015.
- The first-inning home run by Ortiz was the 17th of her Jaguar career, moving her into a tie for 10th place at South. It was also the 47th extra-base hit of her career.
- Allen's two-out walk in the bottom of the first marked the 25th of the season for the sophomore. She has drawn 15 free passes in her last 12 outings

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: 
"We had some really bright spots tonight and then some areas where we beat ourselves. Moving into tomorrow's game. we have to lock into the good and make adjustments in the places that are getting us beat. The series with Lafayette is always about competing and executing, so I'm looking forward to seven full innings with that mindset."

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—