MOBILE, Ala. | The South Alabama softball team opened up Sun Belt Conference play with a pair of wins on Saturday at Jaguar Field, defeating Georgia State 8-0 in six innings in game one, and then a 4-3 walk-off win in game two.
In her two games,
Mackenzie Brasher was a combined 4-for-7 at the plate with five runs scored, two RBI and four stolen bases to lead South Alabama (18-9, 2-0 SBC) at the plate. Georgia State falls to 10-15 overall and 0-2 in SBC play.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On opening up Sun Belt play with a pair of wins: "Two wins are a great way to start Sun Belt play. Tomorrow is a new day and we will need to reset and go at it again."
Redshirt-senior OF Victoria Ortiz
- On opening Sun Belt play with a pair of wins: "You always want to open conference play with a pair of wins like we did today with the run rule in the first game. In the second game, we kind of got caught on our heels a little bit and we were able to get the win."
- On what it's going to take to complete the series sweep tomorrow: "We need to come out the same way we did in the first game. We need to score runs and be aggressive early in order to put the series away."
Game 1 – South Alabama 8, Georgia State 0 (6 inn.)
Olivia Lackie (9-4) struck out seven and tossed a two-hit, shut out as the Jaguars picked up an 8-0, run-rule victory in game one of the day.
Meredith Keel was 2-for-3 at the plate and reached base safely in three of her four plate appearances as she scored three runs. Brasher and
Sasha Willems had three hits apiece, while Brasher also scored three runs and Willems drove in four – a new season high for the Jag catcher.
Georgia State threatened to get on the board early as Lackie issued back-to-back walks to begin the opening frame, but the Jag starter worked out of the jam with a fielder's choice and a pair of pop outs to leave a pair in scoring position.
South Alabama took advantage of its scoring opportunity in the bottom half of the inning. Keel walked and Brasher reached on a fielder's choice to start frame for the Jags, and the duo was then moved into scoring position on Willem's sacrifice bunt. After getting down 0-2 in the count,
Victoria Ortiz battled back to work the count full and then dropped in a single in shallow center, scoring a pair of runs for the Jags.
The Jaguars extended their lead with three more runs their next time up.
Abby Allen worked a full-count walk to lead off the second for South and after being moved into scoring position, the Jags put runners at the corners with one out after a single by Marley Sims. Sims then stole second – her seventh stolen base of the season – and two batters later, Brasher singled back up the middle to plate a pair and double the Jaguar lead (4-0). After moving around to third on her 11th stolen base of the season, Brasher came into make it 5-0 when Willems singled off the first baseman's glove.
South used some two-out offense to stretch it's lead out to 7-0 with two more runs in the fourth. With runners at second and third, Willem's lined a single to left to score Keel (walk) and Brasher (single) and give the Jags the seven-run advantage.
The Panthers broke up Lackie's no-hit bid with a one-out single to right center by Maia Mumpfield in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Emily Brown singled to center to put a pair on for GSU, but Lackie left the Panther runners stranded as she recorded her sixth strikeout of the contest.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Keel singled through the right side of the infield and Brasher followed with a single of her own that was just out of the reach of the Panther third baseman. Willems then ended things as she doubled to left, allowing Keel to come all the way around and score from second giving South the 8-0, run-rule victory.
Scoring Summary
• 1st Inn | Ortiz singled to center, 2 RBI; Keel scored and Brasher scored (2-0, USA)
• 2nd Inn | Brasher singled back up the middle, 2 RBI; Allen scored and Sims scored (4-0, USA)
• 2nd Inn | Willems reached on an infield single to first, RBI; Brasher scored (5-0, USA)
• 4th Inn | Willems singled to left, 2 RBI; Keel scored and Brasher scored (7-0, USA)
• 6th Inn | Willems doubled to left, RBI; Keel scored (8-0, USA)
Postgame Notes
• With her walk to start the Jag first inning, Keel has reached base safely in each of her last four outings
• Keel has had at least one hit in 18 of South's 26 games, and scored a run in six of her last nine
• With her two first-inning RBI, Ortiz (97) moved into the top 10 at South in career RBI, tying her with Meghan Collins (2010-13) for 10th in the category
• Ortiz has driven in at least one run six of her last nine, amassing 11 RBI over that stretch
• Ortiz has also had at least one hit in seven of her last eight, registering multi-hit games three?? times
• The multi-RBI game is Ortiz's fifth of the spring and the 26th of her Jaguar career moving her into a three-way tie with Christin Crocker (2009-12) and Haley Hopkins (2009-12) for seventh all-time at South
• With her four RBI, Willems has driven in 17 of her 22 runs over her last 13 contests
• Willems tied Ortiz for the team lead in multi-RBI games this spring as she also has five
• Brasher has had a hit in six of her last nine and reached base safely in seven of her last eight
• With her two hits, Brasher (35) moved into a tie for 11th in the category with Crocker (2009-12)
• Sims has also reached base safely in 18 of her last 23
• South Alabama was 5-for-10 in two-out situations and 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position
Game 2 – South Alabama 4, Georgia State 3
After Georgia State scored three unanswered runs to tie the game up, South Alabama pushed across an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 4-3, walk-off win and take the series.
Jenna Hardy (9-5) went the distance in the circle for the Jags, and Ortiz was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI, while Brasher also scored twice.
Keel doubled to left to lead off the Jaguar first and Brasher reached on a GSU fielding error when the throw to first was dropped on her sacrifice bunt attempt, which moved Keel to third. After Brasher stole second, Keel came home to score the first run of the inning on a wild pitch. Brasher then scored an unearned run on Ortiz's sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0.
South Alabama tacked on another run in its half of the third. Brasher reached on a one-out single, stole second and then came around to score on Ortiz's single back up the middle (3-0).
Georgia State broke through with a run in the top of the fourth. Emily Brown reached on a single and then moved to third with one out on a stolen base and a Jaguar error. Two batters later, Bailee Richardson lined a single to right to make it 3-1.
The Panthers tied the game up 3-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Ashton Schroyer walked with one away and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Chloe Nadler then singled through the right side of the infield to put runners at the corners. With two outs in the inning, Mumpfield reached on an infield, which scored two runs to tie up the contest.
Bailey Welch reached on a one-out walk after four straight out of the zone in South's half of the seventh. The Jag leftfielder then moved into scoring position when Sims reached on a Panther error, which allowed Welch to race around to third. With two away and runners at second and third, Brasher bounced a ball that was unable to be fielded cleanly, allowing Welch to score and give South the one-run victory.
Scoring Summary
• 1st Inn | Keel scored on a wild pitch (1-0, USA)
• 1st Inn | Ortiz flied out to cf, sacrifice, RBI; Brasher scored, unearned (2-0, USA)
• 3rd Inn | Ortiz singled up the middle, RBI; Brasher scored (3-0, USA)
• 4th Inn | Richardson singled to rf, RBI; E. Brown scored, unearned (3-1, GSU)
• 6th Inn | Mumpfield reached on an infield single to 3b, 2 RBI; Schroyer scored and Nadler scored (3-3, GSU)
• 7th Inn | Brasher reaches on a fielding error by ss; Welch scores (4-3, USA)
Postgame Notes
• With the Saturday sweep, South has now won six of its last seven SBC opening series and eight of its last nine home-opening series
• With her first-inning RBI, Ortiz tied Stephanie Pilkington for ninth all-time in career runs driven in as it was the 98th of her career
• Ortiz has driven in at least one run seven of her last 10, recording 12 during that span
• The multi-hit game was the 38th of Ortiz's career, moving her into sole possession of eighth place in the category
• Ortiz has had at least one hit in four straight and eight of her last nine, registering multi-hit games four times over that stretch
• The two RBI by Ortiz marked the 27th multi-RBI game of her career
• Keel's first-inning double marked the 19th time in South's 27 games in which she has had at least one hit, and her first-inning run marked the seventh time in her last 10 outings in which she as scored at least one run for the Jags
• She has reached base safely in each of her last five contests
Up Next
• South Alabama will close out the series versus the Panthers on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
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