MOBILE, Ala. – Emma Kropp's infield RBI single in the bottom half of the sixth proved to be the game-winning run as the University of South Alabama softball team held off a seventh-inning rally by Coastal Carolina to pick up its third Sun Belt Conference series win with a 3-2 victory over win over the Chanticleers. 

With the tying run at third and the potential go-ahead run at first, left fielder Caroline Nichols was able to track down Makiya Thomas' liner at the wall to seal the Jaguar victory.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (14-14, 7-1 SBC) will close out the series with the Chanticleers on Sunday with first pitch set for 12 p.m.

Date: 4/2
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Final Score: South Alabama 3, Coastal Carolina 2
Records: South Alabama (14-14, 7-1 SBC), Coastal Carolina (14-19, 1-10 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Jenna Hardy (6-7)  LP – Nicolette Picone (5-7_
Home Runs: CCU: Iyanla DeJesus (9)

SCORING
- USA (1st Inn.) | Victoria Ortiz reached on an error by the left fielder, sacrifice fly, RBI | Caroline Nichols scored from third, Mackenzie Brasher scored from second, unearned (2-0, 0 out)
- USA (3rd Inn.) | Emma Kropp reached on an infield single (obstruction), RBI | Ortiz scored from third (3-0, 2 out)
- CCU (7th Inn.) | DeJesus homered to left, RBI (3-1, 1 out)
- CCU (7th Inn.) | Payton Ebersole singled through the right side, RBI | pinch runner Da'Vidria scored from third (3-2, 2 out)

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama loaded the bases in the top of the first as the first three batters singled to start the game. Ortiz lifted a ball to left that would have been deep enough to plate a run, but Ebersole dropped the ball allowing both Nichols and Brasher to score and give South the 2-0 advantage. 
- Ortiz was credited with a sacrifice on the play and an RBI as Nichols would have scored from third despite the error.
- Hardy retired the first 13 batters she faced recording six ground-ball outs, four strikeouts and three fly outs over that stretch.
- Coastal Carolina's Abbey Montoya ended Hardy's attempt at a perfect game as she dropped in a single in shallow left center with one out in the top of the fifth inning. Maddy Jennings then reached on a fielder's choice as Montoya was safe at second on the play to put a pair on. Hardy settled down and struck out the next two batters to hold Coastal off the scoreboard.
- South Alabama tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Ortiz lined a single to left to start the frame and moved to third on a fly out and a wild pitch. With two away in the inning, Emma Kropp was credited with an infield single after obstruction was called on CCU's first basemen, allowing Ortiz to score from third (3-0).
- DeJesus drove a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left to score the first run of the afternoon for the Chants and cut the Jag lead to 3-1.
Two batters later, Maddy Jennings walked and Shae Schreckengost lined a single to left to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Ebersole then line a ball through the right side of the Jaguar infield to cut the deficit to one (3-2). With runners at the corners and the tying run just 60 feet away, Thomas looked as if she might square things up with a liner headed for the gap in left center, but Nichols was able to make the game-saving grab just shy of the wall.
- Hardy tossed her sixth complete game of the spring as she allowed just the two runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out seven.
- Brasher and Ortiz both had two hit performances. Brasher was 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Ortiz had a pair of hits, drove in a run and scored a run.
- Despite taking the loss, Picone allowed just the three runs – two earned – on eight hits. After allowing the two first-inning runs, Picone held South scoreless until the run in the sixth.

NOTES
- South Alabama has now won five-straight in the all-time series versus Coastal.
- With the win, the Jaguars also improve to 5-1 at Jaguar Field this season.
- Nichols (5) tied a season-best hit streak and extended her career-best reached base safely streak to 10 games with her single to start the bottom half of the first.
- Nichols has now had at least one hit in eight of her last 10 contests, recording 11 hits over that stretch.
- Brasher's first-inning walk extended her career-best reached base safely streak to 11 games. She has had either a hit or a walk in 18 of her last 19 outings accumulating eight walks and 18 hits over that stretch. 
- With her two hits, Brasher recorded the 24th multi-hit game of her career, moving her into a tie with Kennedy Cronan for 24th at South Alabama. The third-inning double was the fourth of her career.
- Ortiz's two-hit performance was the 25th multi-hit game of her career moving her into a tie for 20th all-time in the category.
- Ortiz has driven in at least one run in six of South's eight conference games this spring.
- The home run by DeJesus marked the first earned run allowed by Hardy since allowing a run with one out in the fourth inning vs. Dartmouth (3/6) at the Tennessee Invitational. 
- Prior to Saturday's run, Hardy had tossed 36.2 innings without allowing an earned run. Over that stretch, Hardy had allowed just one unearned run in relief in the final game of the Texas State series.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On Jenna Hardy's performance: 
"I thought [Jenna] Hardy pounded the zone so that's always a big thing, throwing strikes so you can give your defense a chance to work behind you. She got a lot of ground balls, and for the most part we took care of the bottom of the order, which is also huge. The defense backed her up; I thought we were catching and throwing well, and then obviously Pepper's [Nichols] catch at the end was a huge out."
- On Victoria Ortiz and the offense: 
"I think we are still working on having some better at-bats. I thought Victoria Ortiz had a great day; she is figuring some things out and having some very quality at-bats. We had a big layoff, so we are trying to get going again, but that just takes a minute to get back in the groove and get going. We are trying to not overthink some things so we can just keep going, keep doing what we do, keep coming in everyday and competing for every pitch."
- On closing out the series on Sunday: 
"We just have to go out and compete on every pitch, that's the thing right now. I think we are kind of in and out of that right now; we have to get better at that. Teams that win at a high level know how to do that. We tend to get the lead then hang back a little bit, so we have to find that 'close it out' mentality, so hopefully we can come in here with that tomorrow."

Junior P Jenna Hardy
- On her performance in the circle: 
"I was cruising early on but that last inning was a little bit of a struggle. Thank goodness for my defense because Pepper Nichols really came through with that last out."
- On the hot start to conference play: 
"The start that we have gotten off to is really good. It's good that we have gotten all the series wins that we have because that just puts us up higher and has given us a strong lead to keep going."
- On closing out the series on Sunday: 
"We need to come out with a fire underneath us and just keep on pushing. We have to put the pedal to the metal."

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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