THIBODAUX, La. | Odalys Cordova was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate as South Alabama softball pounded out a season-high 12 hits to defeat Nicholls Tuesday evening at Swanner Field.

Along with Cordova, Meredith Keel was also 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored, while Victoria Ortiz had a pair of hits and drove in three.

Making just her second start in the circle, Madison Lagle (1-0) tossed four innings of two hit ball, struck out three and allowed just two unearned runs. Jenna Hardy came in relief and closed out the game with three innings of hitless ball, striking out four to pick up her second save of the season

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the pitching and the offense in the win: "It was good to get Madison (Lagle) a start tonight. I thought she did a great job after she settled in. That experience will prove to be valuable for her moving forward. Jen (Jenna Hardy) did a good job closing it out. I thought offensively, we had some timely hits and aggressive base running. It's always good to get a road win, especially going into a tough conference road series this weekend."

Freshman P Madison Lagle
- On getting the start: "I was nervous at first, but I knew I had to get my mind right and compete."

- On what turned for her after the first inning: "I just had the mindset of competing and knew I had to go out there and trust my pitches. I knew I had to do it for my team."

Red-shirt Junior SS Odalys Cordova
- On her approach at the plate: "I just wanted to keep the same approach every at-bat no matter who was in the circle."

- On the offense's performance overall: "We had talked as a team that we had to have the right mindset and keep our foot on the gas, no matter what team we are playing."

South Alabama (20-9) 5, Nicholls (17-11) 2
Keel led off the game with an infield single, and after being moved into scoring position with a ground out, Ortiz put the Jags up a run as she lined a double to the gap in right center, bringing around Keel.

Abby Anderson walked to start the first for Nichols, who moved to third after a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt. Erin Krause then reached on an error and with two outs, Alexa Posche lined a double to left to score a pair of unearned runs to give the Colonels the 2-1 advantage.

Cordova drove an 0-2 pitch over the center fielder's head for a lead off double to begin the second, and then scored from second to tie the game at 2-2 with a one-out single to center by Bailey Welch.

Anderson led off the bottom half of the third with a single back up the middle and then was moved into scoring position one batter later. With two outs, Melise Goosen hit a high fly ball to left, but Welch hauled it in at the fence to keep the game tied.

Cordova got things started for the Jags in the top of the fourth as she legged out an infield single and then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Emma Kropp. Cordova then moved to third on a ground out, but Audrey McNeil was able to leave the runner stranded with a called third strike. 

Keel led off the Jaguar fifth with her second hit of the afternoon, this one a single up the middle, and then Mackenzie Brasher laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first to put a pair on. The duo was moved into scoring position on Sasha Willems' sac bunt. Ortiz came through with another big hit as she laced a single to center, scoring the pair. With two away and Ortiz at third later in the inning, Cordova singled back up the middle to make it 5-2 in favor of the Jags. 

Nicholls threatened to answer in the bottom half of the frame, placing runners at second and third with two outs, but Hardy ended the inning with a strikeout.

Scoring Summary
•    1st Inn | Ortiz doubled to right center, RBI; Keel scored (1-0, USA)
•    1st Inn | Poche doubled to right, 2 RBI; Anderson scored, unearned and Krause scored, unearned (1-2, NICH)
•    2nd Inn | Welch singled to center, RBI; Cordova scored (2-2, USA)
•    5th Inn | Ortiz singled back up the middle, 2 RBI; Keel scored and Brasher scored (4-2, USA)
•    5th Inn | Cordova singled back up the middle, RBI; Ortiz scored (5-2, USA)

Postgame Notes
•    South Alabama and Nicholls have met at least once each of the last six seasons
•    The Jags have now won 15 of the last 16 series meetings against Nicholls
•    The six-game win streak is a season best for the Jaguars 
•    Lagle made her second career start on Tuesday versus the Colonels
•    Keel extended her current reached base safely streak to seven games with her first-inning, leadoff single
•    The senior third baseman has had at least one hit in 20 of South's 29 games, including nine multi-hit efforts, and scored a run in eight of her last nine
•    The three-hit game marked Keel's 32nd multi-hit game as a Jag and the 45th of her collegiate career
•    Ortiz extended her hit streak to six games, and she has had at least one hit in 10 of her last 11, registering multi-hit games six times over that stretch
•    The first-inning RBI double was the 40th of Ortiz's career, tying the program mark in the career category (40, Blair Johnson [2010-13] and Christin Crocker [2009-12])
•    Ortiz has driven in at least one run nine of her last 12, recording 17 RBI during that span
•    The multi-hit game was the 40th of Ortiz's career and the 29th multi-RBI game of her career 
•    Ortiz has driven had multi-RBI games in each of her four
•    Cordova has now had a hit in eight of her last 11 and reached base safely in 10 of her last 12 outings
•    The four-hit day for Cordova not only was a career high for the Orlando native, but also marked the first time this spring that a Jag has done so
•    The last South Alabama player to have four hits in a game was Amanda Flynn vs. Austin Peay (2/15/20)
•    The 12 hits as a team were a new season best for the club
•    Brasher has had a hit in each of her last four and nine of her last 11, and reached base safely in 10 of those 11 contests
•    Over her past six games, Brasher has scored 10 runs
•    With her sixth-inning bunt single, Marley Sims has reached base safely in 19 of her last 26 outings

Up Next
•    South Alabama will continue its four-game road swing this weekend with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Texas State. First pitch of game one of the series versus the Bobcats is set for 4 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.


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