AUBURN, Ala. | Jenna Hardy tossed a five-inning no-hitter as the South Alabama softball erupted for a 12-0, run-rule victory, and Olivia Lackie tossed a one-hitter as the Jaguars defeated 19th-ranked Auburn on day two of the Jane B. Moore Memorial Saturday held at Jane B. Moore Field.

With the two wins, South Alabama improves to 12-7, while Bowling Green falls to 5-11 and Auburn drops to 18-2.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the two wins: "Today was about great pitching and timely hitting. I'm proud of our kids for competing and not giving in in the second game. Some of the pieces are starting to come together for us, so we need to just keep taking steps forward and playing team softball."

Junior P Olivia Lackie
- On settling down after the first inning: "I think I was really nervous at the start of the game in the first inning. I wasn't just trusting my defense. Meredith Keel came out and told me to calm down and just go get outs. That's when I realized I was good and I could trust my defense behind me. That's when I settled in."

- On the win: "This is a huge win in general for us; it's something we really needed, especially over a ranked opponent on their home field. It showcases what we are capable of doing and hopefully we will keep moving forward from here."

Senior P Jenna Hardy
- On what was working for her in the circle in her no-hitter: "Everything seemed to be working for me today, which surprised me because normally there is one pitch that doesn't work. If one pitch isn't working there's other stuff I can go to. We just wanted to get ahead and attack and have fun."

Junior DP/C Sasha Willems
- On what's working well for her at the plate: "Right now, I'm just looking for my pitch and trying to not get caught up in the moment. I'm just looking for something I can put the bat to and do some damage with."

- On what she saw out of Jenna Hardy and Olivia Lackie: "They were both on fire. Jenna's pitches were breaking well and they were effective. You got to give it to Live, she battled through Auburn's tough offense and we came out with the win."

Game 1 – South Alabama 12, Bowling Green 0 (5 inn.)
The Jaguars scored a season high 12 runs on nine hits and (5-4) Hardy tossed her first no-hitter as South Alabama opened up the day with a 12-0, five-inning victory. Hardy struck out six in the game and her only blemish was a pair of third-inning walks. 

Willems led the way at the plate as she was 3-for-3 with a triple, a home run, two runs scored and tied a single-game record with six RBI. Emma Kropp was also 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run and two RBI. Gabby Stagner walked all three of her plate appearances, also tying a single game record, and scored three runs.

South Alabama took the early lead sending nine batters to the plate in the opening frame. Meredith Keel dropped in a single in shallow left center to get things started for the Jags in the bottom of the first. Marely Sims then followed with a walk after four-straight out of the zone, and the duo moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Stagner then drew a walk of her own to load the bases and Willems continued her hot hitting with a single back up the middle to score Keel and Sims. Victoria Ortiz then plated the third run of the frame with an RBI ground out to first and Kropp singled through the left side of the infield to bring home Willems and make it 4-0. 

Stagner walked for the second time in as many plate appearances with two away in the second. Willems then recorded her second triple of the weekend, this one off the wall in left, allowing Stagner to score from first (5-0).

South Alabama blew things open with seven runs in the fourth. Kropp extended the Jaguar advantage to 6-0 as she led off the bottom of the third with her third-career home run. Two batters later, Bailey Welch was hit by a pitch and Mackenzie Brasher doubled to left center to put a pair of runners in scoring position. The Jags added three more runs to stretch their lead out to 9-0 as Keel reached on a dropped ball in left and then came all the way around to score on the second error on the play.  Pinch hitter Shelby Garrett kept things going as she beat out an infield single and Stagner then drew her third walk of the contest. Willems then delivered a three-run bomb to right center to make it 12-0. 

Scoring Summary
•    1st Inn | Willems singled back up the middle, 2 RBI; Keel scored, Sims scored (2-0, USA)
•    1st Inn | Ortiz grounded out to 1B, RBI; Stagner scored (3-0, USA)
•    1st Inn | Kropp singled through the left side of the infield, RBI; Willems scored (4-0, USA)
•    2nd Inn | Willems tripled off the wall in left, RBI; Stagner scored (5-0, USA)
•    3rd Inn | Kropp homered to left center, RBI (6-0, USA)
•    3rd Inn | M. Keel reached on a fielding error by lf, advanced to second on a throwing error by 3b, RBI; M. Brasher scored, unearned; B. Welch scored (9-0, USA)
•    3rd Inn | Willems homered to right center, 3 RBI; Sims scored, Stagner scored (12-0, USA)

Postgame Notes
•    Saturday marked just the second all-time meeting versus Bowling Green with the only other series meeting came during the 2016 season at the South Alabama Invitational (USA, 5-0)
•    Keel has had at least one hit in 13 of South's 18 games this spring
•    Sims has reached base safely in seven of her last nine with her first-inning walk
•    Willems extended her hit streak to nine games with her first-inning, two-run single 
•    She has now had at least one hit in 10 of her last 11 outings, and homered in three of her last five
•    Brasher's third-inning double ended a hitless streak for the senior and was her first hit since going 2-for-4 against Tulsa (2/23) – a streak of six games without a hit
•    Stagner has scored a run in 11 games this season
•    Garrett has reached base safely with either a hit, walk or been hit by pitch in six of her seven pinch-hit opportunities this season
•    The six runs driven in by Willems tied a single-game record and was the first since Dayla Gulledge vs. Stephen F. Austin (2/22/19)
•    Stagner also tied a single-game record with her three walks, and was the first two do so since Abby Allen at Appalachian State (4/10/22)
•    The seven-run, third inning was the most scored by the Jags in a single inning since an eight-run, fourth inning against Georgia State (5/11/22)
•    The no-hitter by Hardy was the first of the senior's career and was the 22nd in program history

Game 2 – South Alabama 2, at No. 19 Auburn 1
Lackie (7-3) tossed a one-hitter and held 19th-ranked Auburn's prolific offense to a season-low one run, as she struck out five batters in South's 2-1 victory over the Tigers. USA scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, giving Lackie all the runs she would need.

Neilia Peralta walked to lead off the bottom of the first, who then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Bri Ellis reached on a Jaguar error, but Lackie was able to get back-to-back fly outs to left to leave the two Tiger runners stranded.

With one out in the Jag second, Abby Allen reached on a two-base throwing error, but like her counterpart in the circle, Shelby Lowe was able to get a pair of foul outs to the outfield to lead the runner stranded in scoring position.

Ellis walked to lead off the fourth for Auburn and pinch runner Abbey Smith moved into scoring position when she stole second. Lackie though held her there as she recorded back-to-back strikeouts looking and a ground out to third to end the inning.

Allen doubled off the wall – the first hit by either team – to start the fifth. Ortiz then singled to center to put runners at the corners. Cordova followed with the third-straight hit as she dropped in a double just inside the line in right, scoring Allen (1-0) and putting a pair in scoring position. With two outs, Keel delivered as she singled through the left side of the infield, scoring Cordova. It looked as if South had plated a third run on the play, but Brasher was called out at the plate on a bang-bang play.

Lindsey Garcia was hit by a pitch to start the seventh and Icess Tresvik walked with one out to put the tying runs aboard. On the eighth pitch of her at-bat, Jessie Baine singled to center – the first hit allowed by Lackie – scoring a run and cutting the Jaguar lead in half (2-1). One batter later, Lackie fielded a chopper back to the circle and through onto first for the second out after looking the runner at third back, but Tresvik made a late break for home attempting to tie the game up, but Stagner's throw to Willems was on target for the final out of the game.

Scoring Summary
•    5th Inn | Cordova doubled to right, RBI; Allen scored (1-0, USA)
•    5th Inn | Keel singled through the left side of the infield, RBI; Cordova scored (2-0, USA)
•    7th Inn | Baine singled to center, RBI; Garcia scored (2-1, AU)

Postgame Notes
•    The win was just the second versus Auburn in the series with the other coming on April 14, 2009, a 3-1, 10-inning win
•    The win was also the first versus a ranked opponent since South Alabama earned a three-game sweep at 18th-ranked Texas State
•    South last defeated a ranked SEC opponent on their home field back on March 7, 2021, a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa
•    The win by the Jags also snapped both 16-game win streak by Auburn and the Tigers' 14-game home win streak
•    Over her last three starts, Lackie as retired 22 straight batters – 18 via strikeout – when the junior has gotten ahead 0-2 in the count
•    Against Auburn, Lackie got ahead of seven batters 0-2 and struck out five
•    She retired the side in order in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings
•    Keel has had at least one hit in 14 of South's 19 games this spring
•    With the RBI single, Keel has driven in 11 runs this season, just two shy of her career high for a season (13 – 2021)
•    Ortiz has recorded at least one hit in 12 of her last 15

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out play at the Jane B. Moore Memorial on Sunday with a single game versus Tennessee Tech with first pitch versus the Golden Eagles set for 9:30 a.m.

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama Softball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaSB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaSB (Facebook), @SouthAlabamaSB (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.

  Read Full Article