MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama swept both games of its doubleheader Friday afternoon to clinch the Sun Belt Conference series versus App State at Jaguar Field. The Jags picked up a 9-0, run-rule victory in game one and then earned a 5-2 win in game two.

South Alabama (28-13, 10-4 SBC) was led at the plate by Bailey Welch, who as a combined 5-for-5 at the plate with a run scored and three RBI in the two wins. App State fell to 20-20 on the spring and 1-11 in league play with the two losses.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the doubleheader sweep: "These were two great team wins for us today. We put together some great at-bats and (Olivia) Lackie and (Jenna) Hardy dug in on the mound. We had great effort all the way around. Every game is important right now, so we need to carry this momentum over to tomorrow and work for game three."

Junior OF Bailey Welch
- On her performance at the plate: "Today, I just came in with the mindset that I was going to out-compete with whoever was on the mound. I just let my eyes and my barrel work for me."

- On the team bouncing back from last weekend: "We came off a tough weekend at UL last weekend, but I feel that we've turned things back around this week during practice. We didn't let that keep us down, and just came out here aggressive and competing, which we did both games today."

Game 1 – South Alabama 9, App State 0 (5 inn.)
Olivia Lackie (15-6) scattered three hits and struck out five, while the Jaguar offense pounded out nine runs on nine hits and nine walks, defeating App State 9-0 in five innings in game one of the day.

Meredith Keel and Mackenzie Brasher were each 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs scored, while Victoria Ortiz reached base all three of her plate appearances with two walks and a double, to go along with her two runs scored and two RBI. Gabby Stagner also drew a pair of walks, had a double, drove in three and scored twice.

South Alabama struck first with three runs in its half of the opening frame. Keel led off the inning with a single to left for the Jags and Brasher followed with a bouncing singe back up the middle. The two Jag runners were them moved into scoring position on Sasha Willem's seventh sacrifice bunt of the spring. After a four-pitch walk to Ortiz loaded the bases, Stagner cleared them two pitches later with a double to right center.

The Jags doubled their lead with another three-run inning in the Jag second. Welch lined a single off App State pitcher Kaylie Northrop (8-6) and after being moved into scoring position by South's second sac bunt (Marley Sims) in as many innings, Keel reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners.  Brasher loaded the bases with another infield hit and Willems lifted a ball to center that was deep enough to plate Welch from third (4-0). Ortiz then gave South Alabama a six-run advantage with a two-run double to left center.

For the first time, App State had multiple base runners as Mary Pierce Barnes recorded a one-out single and Addie Wray reached after a two-out Jaguar fielding error, but Lackie left the two Mountaineers stranded as she struck out Riley Becker – her third of the game – to end the fourth. 

South Alabama batted around and put up three more runs in its half of the fourth. Willems walked to lead off the inning after an illegal pitch was called on a 3-1 count. Ortiz and Stagner followed with back-to-back walks, loading the bases for the third time in the contest. After a pitching change, Cordova drew the fourth walk of the inning to plate the seventh run of the game for the Jags. Abby Allen's RBI double to left center one batter later extended the Jaguar advantage to 8-0. With the bases loaded and two away, Cordova came home from third on a wild pitch (9-0).

Scoring Summary
•    1st Inn | Stagner doubled to right center, 3 RBI; Keel scored, Brasher scored and Ortiz scored (3-0, USA)
•    2nd Inn | Willems flew out to center, sacrifice, RBI (4-0)
•    2nd Inn | Ortiz doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Keel scored and Brasher scored (6-0, USA)
•    4th Inn | Cordova walked, RBI; Erin McGlothlin scored (7-0, USA)
•    4th Inn | Allen doubled to left center, RBI; Ortiz scored (8-0, USA)
•    4th Inn | Cordova scored on a wild pitch (9-0, USA)

Postgame Notes
•    With her strikeout of Kayt Houston to start the game, Lackie moved into fourth all-time in the category, passing Farish Beard (2012-15)
•    Lackie improved to 5-0 all-time versus the Mountaineers with four shutouts and 56 strikeouts in 33 innings of work
•    Since her Feb. 17 start vs. Mississippi Valley State, Lackie has allowed one or fewer runs in 13 of her last 19 starts, tossing 12 shutouts over that stretch
•    The shutout was the 28th of Lackie's career tying her with former Jag All-American and current pitching coach Hannah Campbell (2011-14) for second in the career category
•    The Walker, La., native has been credited with the win in seven of her last 10 starts
•    Keel has had at least one hit in 28 of South's 40 games, including a team-best 12 multi-hit efforts
•    Keel has also now had a hit in 13 of her last 17 and reached base safely in 16 of 18
•    The multi-hit game was the 35th of Keel's career, moving her into a tie for 13th all-time with Meghan Collins (2010-13)
•    Keel also now has 48 career multi-hit games during her collegiate career dating back to her time at Wright State
•    Brasher has also had at least one hit in 15 of her last 19, while reaching base safely in 18 of her last 22 contests
•    Over her past 17 games, the senior outfielder has scored at least one run in 10 of those outings and a total of 17, scoring multiple runs in six of those outings
•    With her first-inning walk, Ortiz has reached base safely a career-best 17 games, which is tied with six other players for 19th on the all-time list at South
•    The multi-RBI performance also moved Ortiz (112) into sixth at South in the career category as she moved passed Kaitlyn Griffith (111, 2012-15)
•    Ortiz now has 32 career multi-RBI games, moving her into a tie with Amanda Minahan (2014-17) for second all-time at South in the category 
•    Willems has reached base safely in seven of her last eight, while Cordova has reached base safely in 10 of her last 11 after drawing their fourth-inning walks

Game 2 – South Alabama 5, App State 2
App State put runners at the corners after back-to-back one-out hits from Sidney Martin and Barnes. Taylor Thorp drove home the Mountaineers' first run of the series with a sac fly to left (0-1).

One inning later the Mountaineers threatened to extend their lead, loading the bases with no outs. Wray and Kaley Coltrain walked to start the frame, and Kylie LaRousa singled back up the middle. Jenna Hardy's (12-6) defense helped her work out of the bases-loaded jam though as Cordova fielded a grounder and came home an out at the plate. Sims then snagged a pop out along the line in left and Brasher caught a line off of Martin's bat in center to end the inning and keep the deficit at one.

Willems reached on an App State error with one away in the bottom of the second and the Mountaineers then committed their second error in as many batters as Sejal Neas' (7-6) throw to second was off the mark. With runners at first and second, Emma Kropp legged out an infield hit to load the bases. South made App pay for the two earlier defensive miscues as Welch dropped in a hit in shallow left center to score Willems from third and tie the game at 1-1.

Keel led off the Jaguar third with a single back up the middle and Brasher reached on an error to set the table. Ortiz then lined a single to right, scoring Keel from second. South's second run of the frame came one batter later on an RBI ground out by Stagner (3-1).

Stagner and Willems both singled up the middle to start the sixth for the Jaguars, who were then moved into scoring position on Cordova's sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Welch added some insurance and extended the lead to 5-1 when she doubled to the gap in left center, scoring Stagner and Willems.

LaRousa led off the seventh with a single off the wall in left, but was held to just the one base after a strong throw in from Welch. A pair two-out error kept the inning alive and App State was able to push across a run, but Ortiz gunned down a runner at third to end the game.

Scoring Summary
•    1st Inn | Thorp flew out to left, sacrifice, RBI; Martin scored, unearned (0-1, APP)
•    2nd Inn | Welch singled to shallow left center, RBI; Willems scored, unearned (1-1, USA)
•    3rd Inn | Ortiz singled to right, RBI; Keel scored (2-1, USA)
•    3rd Inn | Stagner grounded out to second, RBI; Brasher scored, unearned (3-1, USA)
•    6th Inn | Welch doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Stagner scored and Willems scored (5-1, USA)
•    7th Inn | Barnes reached on a fielding error, pinch runner Abby Cunningham scored (5-2, APP)

Postgame Notes
•    South Alabama has now won 22 of the 26 series meetings – including eight straight – and is 14-2 at Jaguar Field
•    Keel has had at least one hit in 29 of South's 41 games – 14 of her last 17 – and reached base safely in 17 of her last 19
•    Ortiz has now reached base safely a career-best 18 games, tying her with three other players for 16th on South's all-time list in the category
•    Ortiz is one of three players to reach base safely in 18 or more straight games each of the past two seasons – Brasher and Allen (21, 2022)
•    With her third-inning single, Ortiz has had a hit in 17 of her last 23
•    Ortiz has driven in at least one run in 11 of her last 18 amassing 23 RBI over that stretch
•    Over the last 18 games, Brasher has scored at least one run in 11 of those outings and a total of 18

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out the series with App State on Sunday due to weather forecast for the Mobile area on Saturday. First pitch of the series finale with the Mountaineers is set for noon.

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