MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team fell, 7-1 in game one of Friday's doubleheader and Louisiana scored two in the sixth to rally back and take the night cap, 2-1 and pick up the Sun Belt Conference series sweep at Jaguar Field.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (16-17, 9-4 SBC) travel to Thibodaux, La., for its final non-conference outing of the spring at Nicholls State. First pitch versus the Colonels is set for 6 p.m. on Wed., April 20 at Ray E. Diddler Field.

Date: 4/15
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

GAME 1
Final Score: Louisiana 7, South Alabama 1
Records: Louisiana (28-10, 14-3 SBC), South Alabama (16-16, 9-3 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Kandra Lamb (8-4)  LP – Jenna Hardy (6-8)
Home Runs: USA: Victoria Ortiz (8)

SCORING
- USA (1st Inn.) | Ortiz homered to center, RBI (1-0, 1 out)
- UL (3rd Inn.) | Melissa Mayeux doubled to left, RBI; pinch runner Raina O'Neal scored from second (1-1, 2 out)
- UL (3rd Inn.) | Alexa Langeliers singled to center, RBI; Mayeux scored from second (1-2, 2 out)
- UL (5th Inn.) | Sophie Piskos flied out to left center, sacrifice fly, RBI; Maddie Hayden scored from third (1-3, 0 out)
- UL (5th Inn.) | Mayeux singled, bunt, RBI; Jourdyn Campbell scored from third (1-4, 1 out)
- UL (5th Inn.) | Karly Heath tripled to right, 2 RBI; Mayeux scored from second, Langeliers scored from first (1-6, 1 out)
- UL (5th Inn.) | Kramer Eschete flied out to center, sacrifice fly, RBI; Heath scored from third (1-7, 1 out)

GAME FACTS
- UL stranded a pair in the top half of the first, Ortiz homered to dead center to give South the early lead, 1-0.
- For the second time in as many innings, Louisiana placed a pair of runners on and appeared as if it had tied the game up with a RBI ground out, but pinch hitter Laney Credeur stopped and took a step backwards forcing both runners to return to their previous base. One batter later, Hardy got out of the jam with a ground out to second to end the inning.
- With two outs and a runner at second, the Ragin' Cajuns tied the game up (1-1) in the top of the third on Mayeux's double to left. One batter latter, Langeliers lined a single to center allowing Mayeux to race around and score, giving the visitors their first lead of the game at 2-1.
- South Alabama threatened in the bottom third with runners at first and second and two away, but Lamb was able to get a foul out to first to end the inning. Caroline Nichols had reached on a one-out single and Ortiz was intentionally walked before the out.
- Louisiana broke the game open in its half of the fifth with a five-run frame to extend its lead out to 7-1. UL used a pair of sacrifice flies, an RBI bunt single by Mayeux and a two-run triple by Heath in the big inning.
- The Jaguars loaded the bases with two outs in the inning after singles by Caroline Nichols and Mackenzie Brasher and an intentional walk to Ortiz, her second of the game, but Schorman was able to record a strikeout to end the inning and hold South off the scoreboard. 
- South Alabama loaded the bases for the third time in the bottom half of the seventh after Ortiz's third intentional walk, but a strikeout from Shorman ended the game.
- Brasher and Nichols each finished 2-for-3 at the plate for South Alabama, while Louisiana had five players end the contest with multiple hits.
- Ortiz reached base in all four of her plate appearances as she was intentionally walked three times in addition to the solo home run.

NOTES
- With her first-inning home run, Ortiz has now homered in the opening frame in each of the last three games. She has four of South Alabama's six first-inning home runs this season.
- The home run marked the 18th of her Jaguar career, moving her into four-way tie for ninth all-time in the category at South.
- Ortiz has now driven in at least one run in nine of her last 12 outings and 10 of South's 12 conference games this spring. 
- The junior has also hit safely in each of her last six outings – driving in at least one run and eight total in each game during the hit streak – and reached base safely in nine straight games.
- Brasher extended her reached-base safely streak to 15 games with her fifth-inning single. 
- The multi-hit game was the 27th of Brasher's career, moving her into a tie with former Jag Britany Campbell (2010-13) for 18th-place in the category, while it was the 14th of Nichols' Jag career.
- The loss was just the second of the season in which the Jags have suffered after scoring first. USA had been 13-1 in that category prior to game one of the doubleheader.

GAME 2
Final Score: Louisiana 2, South Alabama 1
Records: Louisiana (29-10, 15-3 SBC), South Alabama (16-17, 9-4 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Sam Landry (13-2)  LP – Olivia Lackie (9-6)
Home Runs: UL: Samantha Graeter (1)

SCORING
- USA (1st Inn.) | Kamdyn Kvistad singled to left, RBI; Nichols scored from second (1-0, 1 out)
- UL (6th Inn.) | Graeter homered to left center, RBI (1-1, 0 out)
- UL (6th Inn.) | Hayden reached on a fielder's choice, RBI; Kayla Falterterman scored from second (1-2, 1 out)

GAME FACTS
- Nichols and Brasher got things started in the bottom half of the opening frame with back-to-back infield hits. Two batters later, Kvistad dropped in a single in left and Nichols slide home just prior to the tag to put South up 1-0.
- After issuing a leadoff single to Stormy Kotzelnick to start the game, Lackie retired the next 15 batters.
- Held hitless since the top of the first, UL broke through with two runs its half of the sixth. Graeter drove an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left center to tie the game up (1-1) and Falterman followed with a double, who came home two batters later on an RBI fielder's choice by Hayden.
- In the bottom half of the sixth, Ortiz was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a pitching change, she was moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt by Kvistad, but Lamb was able to strike out the final two Jag batters to leave the tying run at second.
- With two away in the South Alabama seventh, Keel shot a single through the left side of the infield. Nichols came up with a huge two-strike base hit as she pulled a ball through the hole on the right side of the infield to put runners at first and second. Brasher then reached on a fielding error to load the bases. However, Landry was able to get a ground ball that just beat Ortiz to the bag at first.
- Nichols was the lone player from either team to finish with multiple hits, her 15th multi-hit game of her career. 
- Despite picking up the loss, Lackie allowed just three hits and struck out six, while walking one. Of her 99 pitches, 70 were for strikes.
- Landry tossed five-and-two-thirds inning of five-hit ball and didn't allow a run after the first, while she struck out eight and walked one. 
- Lamb struck out three and didn't allow a hit or a walk in her 1.1 innings of relief.

NOTES
- Brasher extended her reached-base safely streak to 16 games, the second-longest streak by a Jag this spring – Abby Allen (21). 
- The first-inning RBI was the 112th of Kvistad's career, breaking her tie with Kaitlyn Griffith for fifth on South's all-time chart.
- Ortiz's sixth-inning walk extended her reached base safely streak to nine games, one shy of matching her career best in the category.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the weekend: 
"We did not do the things this weekend we needed to do to win. It's that simple. We never put it all together and we have to continue to work to figure that out.

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—