MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama picked up a 6-1 victory in game one of the series on Thursday night at Jaguar Field and set a program record as it won its 18th Sun Belt Conference game of the season.

South Alabama (36-13, 18-4) also won its 11th-straight contest, a streak that is the most since winning 11 games during the 2015 campaign. 

Olivia Lackie (20-6) went the distance and became just the fifth pitcher in program history to record 20 wins in a season, joining Hannah Campbell (2012 and 2013) and Farish Beard (2013 and 2014), who each did it twice and Devin Brown (2016) and Linden Jones (2009). She is now tied with Brown and Jones for fifth-most wins in a season. In her seven innings of work, Lackie struck out nine batters and scattered five base hits.

Offensively, Gabby Stagner and Meredith Keel were each 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, while the latter had a three-run home run. Abby Allen also had a two-run, pinch-hit home run, while Sasha Willems drove in the other run.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On Thursday night's series-opening win: "Tonight was a big team win. I'm proud of Liv (Olivia Lackie) for her effort tonight. She worked through some jams and did a great job mentally ignoring outside distractions. Offensively, our hitters stuck to their game plan and gave us quality at-bats all night. Abby Allen had a huge at-bat coming in and hitting the two-out, two-run home run to put the game away."

Junior UTL Abby Allen
- On coming through in her pinch-hit opportunity: "I knew when my number was called that I needed to have a productive at-bat and do whatever I could to score that run. I got a ball I could see and do something with."

- On why the team is playing so well right now: "We're just a good group of girls who love playing for each other. That's really helped us this season and I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds for us."

Sophomore 1B Gabby Stagner
- On why the team is playing so well right now: "I think that we are a really connected team this year and we just keep rolling. It's been great this year."

- On her three-run home run: "I was looking for a pitch that I could drive and I got it and just took it that way. It was a big win for us tonight and I'm really proud of my teammates."

South Alabama 6, Troy 1
Troy jumped on the board first as Kelly Horne homered off the foul pole in left (0-1) in its half of the first, but South Alabama answered right back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Keel led off the frame with a double off the wall in center. Mackenzie Brasher then reached on an infield single and Stagner continued her torrid run production as she blasted a three-run home run over the wall in left center (3-1). 

Horne singled back up the middle with two out and Libby Baker then drew a walk to put a pair on for the Trojans with two outs in the top of the third, but Lackie was able to get Taylor McKinney – the reigning SBC Player of the Week swinging to end the inning.

Anslee Finch led off the fourth with a double off the wall in right and was moved up to third on a sac bunt, but Lackie again shut the door with a fly out to left and then a snag on a shot back up the middle to leave the Trojan runner stranded.

In the bottom of the fifth, Stagner doubled off the wall in left center and two batters later, Willems extended the Jaguar lead to 4-1 with an RBI single back up the middle to score Stagner from second.

Troy attempted to rally back in its half of the sixth as Finch lined a one-out single to center and Audra Thompson reached on a fielder's choice error. With runners at second and third after a passed ball with one away, Lackie picked up her eighth and ninth strikeouts of the contest to leave the two Trojans stranded and end the inning.

With a runner on and two out in the bottom half of the sixth, Allen delivered a pinch-hit, two-run home run to left to stretch the South Alabama lead to five (6-1).

Scoring Summary
•    1st Inn | Horne homered off foul pole in left, RBI (0-1, Troy)
•    1st Inn | Stagner homered to left center, 3 RBI; Keel scored and Brasher scored (3-1, USA)
•    5th Inn | Willems singled up the middle, RBI; Stagner scored (4-1, USA)
•    6th Inn | Allen homered to left, 2 RBI; Keel scored (6-1, USA)

Postgame Notes
•    The win was the 11th straight by the Jags as they have now won 22 of their last 26
•    The 18 Sun Belt Conference victories also eclipse the previous program mark of 17 set by the 2016, '13 and '12 clubs
•    Keel has had at least one hit in 35 of South's 49 games, and 20 of her last 26, reaching base safely in 25 of her last 28 contests, including 18 of her last 19
•    The senior third baseman has had a hit in seven-straight and reached base safely in 10 straight
•    Keel has also scored a run in 10 of her last 11, including each of the last six, and over that stretch she has crossed the plate 14 times
•    With her two hits, Keel now has 14 for the spring, 38 for her Jaguar career and 50 for her collegiate career
•    The 38 multi-hit games are 10th most in a career at South Alabama 
•    Brasher has also had a hit in each of her last seven and reached in eight consecutive games, and scored at least one run in seven straight games and nine of her last 10
•    With the first-inning run scored, Brasher (107) moved into the Top 10 at South in the career category, tying Meghan Collins (2010-13) and Jenny Stevens (2007-08, '11) for ninth 
•    The three-run home run in the bottom of the first extended Stagner's current hit streak to seven games – 13 of her last 16 – and she has also reached base safely in 12 straight
•    Stagner's fifth-inning double was her team-leading 15th of the season, which moved her into a three-way tie for third-most in a single season
•    The multi-hit game was the 13th of the season for Stagner and her fourth-straight game with two or more hits
•    Over her last four games, Stagner has recorded six extra-base hits and driven in 13 runs
•    Ortiz's 26-game reached base streak is tied with Emily Messer (2016) for third-longest streak in program history, and one shy of matching Brittany Fowler's (2013) single-season mark, which ranks second all-time
•    Allen's pinch-hit home run was her second of the season and the 11th home run of her Jaguar career
•    The pinch-hit home run was also the third of the spring for South Alabama
•    Willems has had at least one hit in 10 of her last 13, reaching base safely in 11 of those contests
•    Cordova has had a hit in nine of her last 12 and reached base safely in 10 of her last 12
•     Lackie has been credited with the win in 12 of her last 16 starts
•    Since her Feb. 17 start vs. Mississippi Valley State, Lackie has allowed one or fewer runs in 17 of her starts, tossing 12 solo shutouts and combined on 3 more over that stretch

Up Next
•    South Alabama will continue the series with the Trojans on Friday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Jaguar Field.

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