MOBILE, Ala. – Junior outfielder Victoria Ortiz and senior outfielder Caroline Nichols combined to drive in seven of the University of South Alabama's eight runs, while Olivia Lackie struck out 13 to lead the Jaguars to a Sun Belt Conference series-opening win over Georgia Southern Friday night at Jaguar Field.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (21-17, 12-4 SBC) will continue the three-game series when it takes on the Eagles on Saturday with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Prior to the game, South Alabama will honor six seniors: Kennedy Cronan, Janeah Finney, Allie Hughen, Meredith Keel, Nichols, Belle Wolfenden. Along with those six seniors, redshirt sophomore Shelby Sloan, who is graduating in three years and student manager Victoria Howard will also participate in an on-field graduation ceremony.
Date: 4/29
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)
Final Score: South Alabama 8, Georgia Southern 1
Records: South Alabama (21-17, 13-4 SBC), Georgia Southern (11-30, 4-15 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Olivia Lackie (12-6) LP – Kastin Belogorska (3-12)
Home Runs: USA: Victoria Ortiz (9); GS: Janai Conklen (6)
SCORING
- GS (1st Inn.) | Conklen homered to left, RBI (0-1, 2 out)
- USA (1st Inn.) | Ortiz doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Caroline Nichols scored from second, Mackenzie Brasher scored from first (2-1, 0 out)
- USA (1st Inn.) | Ortiz scored on a two-base throwing error, unearned (3-1, 2 out)
- USA (2nd Inn.) | Nichols doubled to center, RBI; Abby Allen scored from second (4-1, 2 out)
- USA (4th Inn.) | Nichols singled up the middle, RBI; Allie Hughen scored from second (5-1, 2 out)
- USA (4th Inn.) | Ortiz homered to left center, 3 RBI; Nichols scored from third, Brasher scored from second (8-1, 2 out)
GAME FACTS
- Lackie struck out the first two batters of the game and looked as if she were going to have a 1-2-3 inning jumping ahead 0-2 in the count to Conklen, but the Eagle catcher drove a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left to put the visitors out in front early.
- South Alabama answered back with three runs on three hits and an Eagle error. Nichols and Brasher both reached on infield singles to begin the bottom half of the opening frame, and with the count full, Ortiz lined a double to the gap in left center, plating a pair of runs and giving South the 2-1 lead. Two batters later, Ortiz was able to score from second as Georgia Southern's throw in from center sailed high and into the Jaguar dugout (3-1).
- Allen drew a one-out walk South's next time up and was sacrificed into scoring position by Hughen. With two outs, Nichols recorded her second hit in as man at-bats with a double to center scoring Allen and extending the Jaguar lead to 4-1.
- South Alabama four more two-out runs in its half of the fourth. Hughen reached on a two-out infield single and then moved into scoring position when she stole second. Nichols continued her hot hitting and bounced a single back up the middle to bring in a run (5-1). After Brasher reached on an error to keep the inning alive and then swiped her 17th base of the season, Ortiz blasted a three-run home run over the wall in left center to extend the Jaguar lead to 8-1.
- Nichols tied a career high in hits as she was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored.
- Oritz reached base all three of her plate appearances with two hits – a double and a home run – to go along with her five RBI and her two runs scored.
- Lackie tossed her 12th complete game of the season and her ninth in conference play as she allowed just the one run, while scattering five hits.
- She struck out 13 and didn't walk a batter in her seven innings in the circle.
- The Walker, La., native got ahead 0-2 in the count to 11 Eagle batters, retiring eight of them and five by strikeout.
- She also struck out the side in the first, third and fifth innings, while retiring the side in order in the fifth and sixth.
- She went first-pitch strike to 22 of the 27 batters she faced, including 18 of the first 21.
- Lackie also threw 75.2 percent of her 105 pitches for strikes in the contest.
NOTES
- With her first-inning single, Nichols extended her reached base safely streak to seven games.
- Nichols now has had a hit in six of her last seven, four of which have been multi-hit efforts.
- Brasher also extended both her career-best reached base safely and hit streaks to 21 and 11 games, respectively.
- The 21-game reached base safely streak matches Abby Allen's club, season-best done earlier this spring. It is now tied for sixth longest streak in program history
- The 11-game hit streak is tied five other players for the 10th-longest streak at South Alabama.
- Ortiz's double in the first was her ninth of the season and 31st of her career moving her into a tie for seventh with Amanda Minahan (2014-17).
- The Mobile, Ala., native now has 52 career extra-base hits and leads the team with 19 this spring after her double and home run.
- Ortiz also moved into a tie with former Jag Haleigh Lowe (2015-18) for 16th all-time in multi-RBI games as she now has 18 in her career.
- The five runs driven in were a new career high for Ortiz and the second five-RBI game this spring by a Jag (Gabby Stagner, vs. Louisiana on 4/14/22).
- With her two hits, Ortiz posted her 26th career multi-hit game moving her into a tie for 20th in the category.
- The 13 strikeouts by Lackie marked the sophomore's 12th career double-digit strikeout game, fourth-most on the all-time list. It was her fifth of the 2022 campaign.
- Allen's walk in the bottom of the second was her team-leading 27th of the spring.
- The fifth-inning double by Meredith Keel extended both her hit and reached base safely streaks to six games. She has now had an extra-base hit in each of her last ?? outings.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the performance from Olivia Lackie and the offense:
"I think it was a good way to start the series and set the tone. I thought we started out a little slow and then we got it going. It was a good game for [Olivia] Lackie with no walks and 13 strikeouts. You'll take that every time.
"Offensively, [we were] just applying pressure, even on the [runs] that didn't come through that we were still applying pressure at the plate and competing. Obviously, Victoria [Ortiz] and Pepper [Caroline Nichols] both had big nights and showed out tonight. Ortiz got to show out on her birthday and I'm happy for that. It was a good way to set the tone. This is a big weekend for us and we have to take care of business. This was the way that we wanted to start it off."
Junior OF Victoria Ortiz
- On starting the series off with a win:
"We need to keep winning. Our goal was to just compete every single pitch and get a win tonight. We want to keep rolling and stacking wins."
- On the career night on her birthday:
"I kept forgetting it was my birthday throughout the game, because I was just playing. When I hit the home run, I thought about it then. It was really cool. A lot of my friends and family were here and it was just a cool moment."
Sophomore P Olivia Lackie
- On settling in after allowing the first-inning run:
"After she [Conklin] hit the home run, I felt like there was no sense of trying to be perfect since they already scored. I just settled down and just threw the ball to Kamdyn [Kvistad]. Once I did that, I was just really able to find my pitches."
- On the offense answering back in the bottom half of the first:
"That's really important to me as a pitcher because it shows me that our offense and the people behind me have my back. They just answered back and scored the three runs for me after I gave up a run. So, it was a big deal."
- On the effectiveness of the change up:
"It has taken me a long time to formulate my changeup. I've been working on it since I started pitching. It has just now started to come around. It's helped me a lot in some tough situations [lately] when previously without it I would have been pulled out. It's really been key to my arsenal."
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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