MOBILE, Ala. |
Jenna Hardy tossed a three-hit shutout in the opener and then picked up the win in relief as
Meredith Keel lined a one-out, walk-off double in extra innings to give South Alabama the series sweep over Troy Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Field.
South Alabama (38-13, 20-4 SBC) – enters the postseason now having won 13 straight and 24 of its last 28. The Jags earned the third seed at next week's Sun Belt Conference Championships held in Lafayette, La., and will open up play on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. versus sixth-seeded James Madison.
Keel drove in six in the doubleheader sweep versus the Trojans (33-18-1, 14-9-1 SBC).
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On Saturday's Senior Day sweep: "What a special day for a special group of people. To be able to celebrate our seniors and everything they have meant and mean to this program is special; I don't think you could have asked for a better ending to the day. I don't think we played particularly well throughout the day, but our fight was unbelievable. We just refused to get beat and I thought that was amazing. To see them step up in those big moments and just refuse to lose is phenomenal."
- On building on this performance heading into the postseason: "All these games have been huge for us heading into the tournament. For us to come out and take all three this weekend was really big, along with the fact that our kids just didn't give up. That's the character of our team and those are the type players we have wearing South Alabama jerseys. I'm incredibly proud of all of them."
- On
Jenna Hardy's effort in both games: "Jen had a great day for us, she came in and gave us what we needed. She got called on to do a lot today and she really stepped up. I think she loves being in those moments and she did what she needed to do."
Senior P Jenna Hardy
- On having the type day she had on "Senior Day": "It's fun to put it all out on the field knowing its going to be one of the last times you play here. I couldn't have picked a better group to do this with. I know that my teammates are going to give me the run I need to either tie up the game or to put us on top. I know they are going to bring the effort that I give them in the circle."
- On what was working for her: "I feel like everything was working for me. It's been a world-change for me ever since our last home series against App State. Ever since then, I just feel like something clicked on for me and its been there ever since."
Redshirt Senior OF Victoria Ortiz
- On her day at the plate: "I just wanted to be there for my team. I knew what I wanted to do today and I knew whatever I wasn't able to do that my teammates would pick me up. I'm just really proud of our group."
- On the team continuing to fight back: "This team doesn't have any quit in it. There was no way that we were losing that game, there was no other option. I knew that no matter how bad we started, that we were going to end it the right way."
Graduate Senior 3B Meredith Keel
- On the game-winning hit: "I knew she was going to give me a pitch to drive; I was looking for one specific pitch and I knew if she threw it, I was swinging. I saw it out of her hand and I just went with it."
- On the team continuing to fight back: "Our team is just a gritty group and we're gritty for each other. We want to work for each other, for our pitcher, for the person on base, for the person behind us. We have a great group of girls who love to fight for each other."
Game 1 – South Alabama 6, Troy
Hardy (16-7) tossed seven innings of three-hit, shutout ball for her fourth solo shutout of the season and
Emma Kropp was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate, reaching base all three of her plate appearances, to go along with two RBI. Keel also reached base twice with a walk and a three-run home run – her third long ball of the spring.
Troy had a scoring opportunity in the opening frame placing a pair of runners on with two outs after a fielder's choice and a two-out walk to Anslee Finch, but
Bailey Welch came in on a sinking liner to left and made the catch on one knee to end the scoring threat by the Trojans.
South Alabama struck first with a pair of unearned runs in the Jaguar second.
Victoria Ortiz reached on a two-base throwing error to start the inning, and after a fly out to right, Ortiz moved up a base on a wild pitch.
Odalys Cordova walked to put runners at the corners, and then stole second to put both Jag runners in scoring position. Kropp gave South a two-run lead two batters later when she lined a two-out single to right to score a pair (2-0).
Gabby Stagner drew a two-out walk the Jags' next time up and Ortiz dropped in a single in shallow left, but Libby Baker was able to escape after a fly out to the warning track in center.
In Troy's half of the fifth, D'Aun Riggs reached on an infield single to lead things off and was moved up on a sacrifice bunt, but Hardy was able to get the next two Trojan batters to fly out and strand the runner.
After a 23-minute weather delay,
Mackenzie Brasher lined a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth and moved to third with two outs after a pair of stolen bases – the 56th and 57th of her Jaguar career – but a ground out to first held the Jags off the scoreboard.
South Alabama broke things open with a four-run frame in the bottom half of the sixth. Cordova drew her second walk of the day with one out and then swiped her second bag to move into scoring position. After moving to third on a ground out to first, Kropp reached for the third time in the contest with a walk of her own to put runners at the corners.
Marley Sims then laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first for a RBI single. With two aboard, Keel continued the scoring as she cleared the bases with a three-run shot over the wall in center on the second pitch of her at-bat, extending the lead to 6-0.
Hardy set the Trojans down in order – her third time doing so in the contest – the next half inning to seal the series win.
Scoring Summary
• 2nd Inn | Kropp singled to right, advanced to second on error by rf, 2 RBI; Ortiz scored, unearned and Cordova scored, unearned (2-0, USA)
• 6th Inn | Sims bunt single, RBI; Cordova scored (3-0, USA)
• 6th Inn | Keel homered to center, 3 RBI; Kropp scored and Sims scored (6-0, USA)
Postgame Notes
• South Alabama honored its four seniors – Hardy, Kropp, Brasher and Ortiz prior to game one of the doubleheader
• The shutout was also the eighth of Hardy's career and the 19th of the season by Jaguar pitching
• Five of South's six hits in the game came with two outs
• Brasher and Cordova each had a pair of steals in the contest
• With her first-inning walk, Keel has reached base safely in a career-best 11-game streak – 19 of her last 20 – and 26 of her last 29 contests
• Hardy reached a personal milestone in the second inning as her strikeout of Riggs was the 300th of her career
• With her third-inning single, Ortiz matched Brittany Fowler's (2013) single-season mark for consecutive games reached base safely as it was the 27th-straight for the redshirt senior
• The 27-game reached base safely streak is also the second-longest overall streak in program history
• Ortiz has also had at least one hit in 25 of her last 30 contests, and with her hit, she moved into a tie for eighth with Amanda Minahan (2014-17) as it was the 165th of her career
• Brasher has also had a hit in each of her last eight, reaching base safely in nine consecutive games
• The home run was the fourth of Keel's career, and the graduate senior has had at least one hit in 36 of South's 50 games, and 21 of her last 27
• The senior third baseman has also had a hit in eight-straight and reached base safely in 11 straight, both career best
• Keel has also scored a run in 11 of her last 12, including each of the last seven, and over that stretch she has crossed the plate 15 times
Game 2 – South Alabama 7, Troy 6 (8 inn.)
South Alabama completed the series sweep as Keel lined a one-out double to left, scoring a pair for a 7-6 walk-off win. The hit was the lone hit of the contest for Keel, but the senior made the most of it with the two-run base hit.
Hardy (17-7) picked up her second win of the afternoon as she tossed 4.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits.
Ortiz was a perfect 2-for-2, homering both of her official at-bats, while walking the two other plate appearances.
Troy had a runner reach third with one out after Jade Sinness reached on an error and then moved up two bases on the play on another South Alabama error.
Olivia Lackie though left the Trojan center fielder standing at the bag after a pair of pop outs.
In the bottom half of the inning, Ortiz put the Jags up 1-0 as she blasted the first pitch she saw over the wall in right center – her eighth home run of the spring.
The Trojans began their half of the third with three-straight hits with the third – a RBI single to left by Riggs – tying the game up at 1-1. With two away, Taylor McKinney gave Troy its first lead since the opening frame of game one of the series as she drove a ball over the wall in left center for a three-run home run (1-4).
Finch led off the fourth with a single through the left side of the infield and Katelyn de Leon and Natalie Turner both walked with one away, loading the bases for the Trojans. Hardy entered the game in relief and induced two-straight ground-ball outs to get out of the jam and prevent any further damage.
Ortiz led off the South Alabama fourth inning as she homered to straight-away center field, again on the first pitch she saw off of Troy starter Leanna Johnson (24-8) , cutting the deficit in half.
Sasha Willems then reached on a Trojan throwing error and Cordova dropped in a single just inside the foul line in right. Welch loaded the bases with a single to right and Kropp was hit by a pitch to plate a run (3-4). Keel then lifted a ball to left that was deep enough to score Cordova from third and tie the game at 4-4.
South Alabama had the potential go-ahead run at third with two outs after Sims reached on a three-base throwing error, but Johnson induced a pop out to leave the Jag runner stranded.
Turner led off the seventh with a solo home run to left center to put the Trojans back out in front, 5-4.
With one out in the bottom half of the frame, Stagner lined a double to right center – her 16th of the season – and the sophomore then moved to third when Johnson's first pitch to Ortiz was wild. Ortiz was intentionally walked to put runners at the corners, and Willems plated the tying run when the Jag catcher dove for the bag at first, just beating the throw on a double-play attempt, allowing Stager to score (5-5).
Sinness singled through the left side of the infield and then came in to score one batter later on Finch's RBI double to right center (6-5). With two away, Finch moved up to third on a wild pitch, but Welch made a diving catch in shallow left center to end the inning.
After making the diving catch in the outfield to end the top half of the inning, Welch reached on a Trojan error when her grounder to short was mishandled. Welch hustled on the play and moved up to second when the ball deflected into shallow center field. Kropp walked after working the count full to put a pair on and after
Erin McGlothlin came into pinch run, the two Jaguar base runners were moved up on Sims' sac bunt. Keel then brought the two home as she lined a double into left for the game winner.
Scoring Summary
• 2nd Inn | Ortiz homered to right center, RBI (1-0, USA)
• 3rd Inn | Riggs singled to left, RBI; pinch runner Aayanah Hughes scored (1-1, Troy)
• 3rd Inn | McKinney homered to left center, 3 RBI; Riggs scored and Turner scored (1-4, Troy)
• 4th Inn | Ortiz homered to center RBI (2-4, USA)
• 4th Inn | Kropp hit by pitch, RBI; pinch runner
Brooklynn Bockhaus scored, unearned (3-4, USA)
• 4th Inn | Keel flied out to left, RBI; Cordova scored, unearned (4-4, USA)
• 7th Inn | Turner homered to left center, RBI (4-5, Troy)
• 7th Inn | Willems reached on a fielder's choice, RBI; Stagner scored (5-5, USA)
• 8th Inn | Finch doubled to right center, RBI; Sinness scored (6-5, Troy)
• 8th Inn | Keel doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Welch scored, unearned, and McGlothlin scored (7-6)
Postgame Notes
• The win marked the 13th straight for the Jaguars and was extended the club's program-best 20th conference win
• The 13 consecutive wins are tied with the 2014 club for third-longest win streak in program history
• The 12-0 Sun Belt Conference home record marks just the second time (2016) that the Jags have been undefeated in league play at home
• The 21 home wins are also a new program record in a season, eclipsing the previous mark of 20 done by the 2013 and 2017 clubs
• In a streak dating back to May 7, 2021, Brasher has made 108 consecutive starts, which ranks 15th all-time at South Alabama
• The two home runs were the 30th and 31st of Ortiz's career – second most all-time at South – and extended her program record for extra-base hits as she now has 81 for her career
• Ortiz and
Kamdyn Kvistad (36, 2018-22) are the only two players in program history to reach the 30-home run plateau
• The solo home run in the second inning extended Ortiz's reached base safely streak to 28 games, passing Fowler's single-season mark and moving her into second-longest streak overall
• The second-inning home run was also the 166th hit of her career moving her into sole possession of eighth place at South Alabama in the category
• Ortiz has also had at least one hit in 25 of her last 30 contests and
• Ortiz has a team-best 15 multi-hit games and 16 multi-RBI games this spring
• The 15 multi-hit games are tied for 15th most in a season, while her 16 multi-RBI games are just one shy of matching Chloe Rathburn's single-season mark of 17 set in 2015
• The two-home run game marked the third of Ortiz's career and the 21st in program history
• Ortiz and Stagner both had two-home run games last season
• Willems has had at least one hit in 11 of her last 15, reaching base safely in 12 of those contests
• Cordova has had a hit in 10 of her last 15 contests
• Stagner season doubles
• Over her last six games, Stagner has recorded seven extra-base hits and driven in 13 runs
• Stagner has had a hit in eight of her last nine and 14 of her last 18, while she has reached base safely in 13 of last 14
• Keel has reached base safely in a career-best 12-games – 20 of her last 21 – and 27 of her last 30 contests
• Keel has had at least one hit in 37 of South's 51 games, and 22 of her last 28, and with her game-winning double, the senior extended both her career-best hit streak (9) and reached base safely streaks (12)
Up Next
• South Alabama will head to Lafayette, La., for the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Championship held at Lamson Park (May 10-13). The Jaguars will be the third seed at the tournament and open up play on Thursday at 10 a.m. against sixth-seeded James Madison.
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