TROY, Ala. – Troy scored seven unanswered runs and picked up the 7-2 victory over the University of South Alabama softball team Friday night to pick up the series win at the Troy Softball Complex.

UP NEXT
- South Alabama (23-19, 15-6 SBC) will close out the series versus the Trojans on Sunday at 2 p.m. 

Date: 5/6
Place: Jaguar Field (Mobile, Ala.)

Final Score: Troy 7, South Alabama 2
Records: Troy (29-18, 15-11 SBC), South Alabama (23-19, 15-6 SBC)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Libby Baker (8-5)  LP – Jenna Hardy (8-9)
Home Runs: Troy: McKinley 2 (7), Kelly Horne (13)

SCORING
- Troy (1st Inn.) | Anslee Finch singled to short, RBI; Kelly Horne scored from third (0-1, 2 out)
- Troy (1st Inn.) | Katelynn de Leon singled to left, RBI; Blake Gibson scored from first (0-2, 2 out)
- Troy (1st Inn.) | Kennedi Gaton doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Audra Thompson scored from third, Finch scored from second (0-4, 2 out)
- Troy (4th Inn.) | McKinney homered to left, RBI (0-5, 2 out)
- Troy (6th Inn.) | Horne homered to left, RBI (0-6, 0 out)
- Troy (6th Inn.) | McKinney homered to left, RBI (0-7, 0 out)
- USA (7th Inn.) | Pinch hitter Kassidy Wilcox doubled to left center, RBI; Belle Wolfenden scored from second, unearned, Caroline Nichols scored from first, unearned (2-7, 2 out)

GAME FACTS
- South left a runner in scoring position in the top of the first after Mackenzie Brasher singled with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Baker was able to field a grounder back up the middle to strand the Jaguar runner.
- Troy loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the opening frame after a pair of infield singles and a walk. With two away in the inning, Finch and de Leon then followed with RBI singles, and Gaton drove in a pair with a double to the left center gap to give the Trojans a 4-0 lead.
- Thompson and Finch recorded their second hits of the contest with one away in the Trojan third and after a strikeout, Gaton reached on an infield single to load the bases, but Jag pitcher Allie Hughen fielded a grounder to get out of the jam.
- Victoria Ortiz reached with a 1-out walk in the top of the fourth – the first Jag base runner since opening frame and moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. Baker had retired nine straight prior to issuing the walk. The Trojan righty though was able to prevent any further advancement by the South Alabama right fielder as she recorded a strikeout and a ground out to second.
- Troy added to its lead (5-0) in the fourth as McKinley homered to left on the first pitch she saw.
- Gabby Stagner singled down the leftfield line and Belle Wolfenden walked on four straight to put a pair of runners on in the South Alabama fifth, but Baker was able to induce a ground-ball out to end the frame.
- Finch and de Leon led off the bottom half of the fifth with back-to-back singles 
- South Alabama put runners at first and second with one out in the sixth after Ortiz was hit by a pitch and Kamdyn Kvistad reached on an infield single.
- Troy tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth as Horne and McKinley went back-to-back with homers to left and right center, respectively and stretched its lead out to 7-0.
- The Jags tried to mount a late rally as Wolfenden reached on a two-out error and Shelby Sloan earned a pinch-hit walk to put a pair aboard. Wilcox then lined a double to the gap in left center to plate a pair and trim the deficit to five (7-2), but that was as close as South was able to get as Baker ended the game with a strikeout, her fifth of the game.
- Brasher, Stagner, Kvistad and Wilcox recorded South Alabama's four hits, while Ortiz reached twice as she was hit by a pitch and walked. Wolfenden reached base with a walk as well.
- Troy received multi-hit performances from six players, led by de Leon's 3-for-4 showings. Horne, McKiney, Gibson, Finch and Gaton each had two hits apiece.
- The 2-3-4 batters in the Trojan lineup had six of Troy's 14 hits, three RBI and scored five runs.
- Troy's first five runs came with two-outs.
- Baker allowed just four hits and issued three walks, while not allowing an earned run.
- South Alabama left seven runners on base and was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and had just two hits with runners on base.

NOTES
- The series loss marks just the second conference series South Alabama has dropped this spring.
- With her first-inning single, Brasher has had at least one hit in 16 of the Jags' 21 conference games. She has a team-best 42 hits this spring. 
- The four runs allowed by the Jaguars in the bottom of the first marked the fourth time this spring that South has allowed four or more runs in an inning. 
- Coming into the game, Hardy had allowed nine total runs in her nine appearances (42 innings) against league foes.
- Wilcox's two-run double in the seventh was just the seventh pinch hit by a Jag this season, and she has recorded three of them.

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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