MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama rallied back to take game one of the day, 8-4 over Northern Illinois, but saw its rally attempt in the nightcap come up short as the Jags fell 10-7 to Eastern Kentucky Saturday on day two of the South Alabama Invitational presented by Marriott Mobile and held at Jaguar Field.
South Alabama (6-2) was led offensively in the doubleheader by
Mackenzie Brasher who combined to go 4-for-6 with four runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases.
Gabby Stagner also had three hits, drove in five and scored four times.Â
Game 1 – South Alabama 8, Northern Illinois 4
South Alabama scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth and
Olivia Lackie (4-1) was dominant in relief as the Jaguars rallied to defeat Northern Illinois in game one of the day.
Lackie tossed three perfect innings of relief, retiring all nine batters that she faced. The senior struck out five batters and threw first-pitch strikes to all nine. She was able to get ahead 0-2 to all but one.
Sasha Willems was 3-for-4 at the plate and a pair of RBI, while Stagner scored twice and drove in two with a triple.
Marley Sims also had two RBI in the win.
How It Happened
• Northern Illinois jumped out to an early three-run lead in the opening frame. Jenna Turner, who had singled to lead off the game, came into score the first run of the contest after a Jaguar throwing error. NIU then added another run one batter later on a sacrifice fly by Danielle Stewart (NIU, 2-0). The Huskies added one more run on a RBI groundout (NIU, 3-0).
• South Alabama answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Brasher and Stagner walked to start the inning for the Jaguars and the duo then moved up a base after a double steal. Olivia Branstetter lifted a ball to right that was deep enough to plate Brasher and trim the deficit to 3-1. Willems then scored Stagner from third when the senior catcher dropped in a single just inside the left field foul line (NIU, 3-2)
• The Jags manufactured a run without the benefit of a hit to tie the game up (3-3) their next time up.
Gracie Tentinger drew a leadoff walk to begin the second for South Alabama. Pinch runner
Caitlyn Gavin then moved into scoring position on a ground out and wild pitch, and the freshman beat the throw home when Sims reached on a RBI fielder's choice.
• Northern Illinois retook the lead on an unearned run in the fourth. Cara Cruthers reached with one out after South's third error of the game and then moved into scoring position when she stole second. Turner then singled back up the middle, scoring Cruthers from second to put NIU back in front, 4-3.
• With a runner on first and two away,
Bailey Welch lined a triple to the gap in right center, plating Tentinger, who had walked (4-4). South had a chance to add tack on more runs, loading the bases after walks to
Sophia Mendoza and Brasher – her second of the game – but a pop out ended the frame.
• Tentinger doubled off the base of the wall in left center with one out in the bottom half of the sixth.
Brooklynn Bockhaus, pinch running for Tentinger was then moved to third on Welch's sacrifice bunt, and game home on Sims' fielder's choice when she slide around the tag attempt at home to give South its first lead of the night (USA, 5-4)
• With runners at second and third after a Brasher single and a Huskie wild pitch, Stagner tripled off the base of the wall in right center to extend the Jaguar advantage to 7-4. Willems kept the scoring going with a RBI single to right – her third hit of the game and her sixth of the tournament – bringing in Stagner and extending the lead to 8-4.
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the first in the all-time series between the two clubs
• South Alabama improved to 10-3 all-time against current Mid-American Conference members
• The home victory extended a program-best, 17-game home win streak, which began on Feb. 25, 2023 with a 5-3 victory over Tulsa
• Brasher made her 117th consecutive start, and made her 146th start in center field
• With her strikeout of Caitlyn Shumaker in the sixth inning, Lackie recorded the 700th strikeout of her career, one of three players in program history to do so (
Devin Brown and
Hannah Campbell)
• Stagner extended her hit streak to seven games with her two-run double in the bottom of the sixth
• The multi-RBI game was the second of the season for Stagner and the 22nd of her career
• Willems' three hits tied a career high for the senior catcher and marked her second-straight three-RBI game
• Brasher has had at least one hit and scored a run in six of South's seven games
• Branstetter has driven in at least one run in five of her seven games this season
• Stagner has driven in at least one run in five of South's seven games this season after her sacrifice fly
• Of Stagner's 11 base hits this season, six have gone for extra bases
• Brasher has had at least one hit in six of her seven outings this spring
• Sims has now scored a run in five of her last seven
Game 2 – Eastern Kentucky 10, South Alabama 7
Eastern Kentucky (8-0) used a six-run, sixth inning to gain some breathing room and it proved pivotal as the Jaguars battled back, scoring six runs over the final two frames, but it wasn't enough as the Colonels held on to pick up a 10-7 victory.
Brasher was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and Stagner also had a pair of hits, including a three-run home run.
EKU had five players card multiple hits in the win as Kennedy Drafton and Jaelin Haynes had three hits apiece. The 1-5 hitters in the lineup combined to record 10 of the club's 13 hits, scored eight runs and drove in eight.
How It Happened
• EKU quickly put a pair of runners in scoring position as Drafton led off the game with a double to left and Madison Scott beat out an infield single and stole second. The Colonels took a 2-0 lead one batter later on Jeanay Riley's single back up the middle. Eastern Kentucky put runners at the corners two batters after a Jaguar error, and extended its lead to 3-0 after a sac fly to left.
• Maddie Ratan lined a one-out triple off the wall in right and Jasmine Miller then walked to put runners at the corners after being down 0-2 in the count. After Miller stole second, Lilly Davis's sacrifice fly to center scored Ratan from third and stretched the EKU lead to 4-0.
•
Sidney Lee tripled to right to begin the bottom of the fifth, and one batter later, Gavin, pinch running at third scored on Welch's sac fly to center (EKU, 4-1).
• The Colonels broke the game open and answered right back the next half inning with six runs on six hits. Eastern Kentucky loaded the bases with one out. Scott bounced a single back up the middle to score a pair and stretch the EKU lead back out to 6-1. Riley then dropped in a single in left center that scored Drafton from second (EKU, 7-1). The Colonels then added
• South Alabama was able to respond with three runs on three hits in the bottom half of the inning. Brasher singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and Stagner followed with a single of her own to put a pair on. Willems lined a single back up the middle, scoring Brasher from second (EKU, 10-2). Branstetter then reached after a two-base fielding error by the EKU shortstop, which allowed Stagner to race around the bases and score from second (EKU, 10-3).
• With runners at second and third and one out, Lee drew a walk to load the bases. Willems then came home to trim the deficit to six (10-4) on Welch's second sac fly of the evening.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Sims reached on an error to start the frame and Brasher followed with her third hit of the game to put a pair on. Stagner then crushed her second home run of the season when she drove a 1-2 offering high over the wall in left (EKU, 10-7).
Postgame Notes
• The loss snapped South Alabama's 17-game home win streak and was the first home loss since suffering an 8-4 defeat to Mississippi State last February
• Brasher made her 118th consecutive start, and made her 147th start in center field
• The three-hit performance marked the 45th multi-hit game of Brasher's career
• The three-run home run by Stagner was the 14th of her career and her eighth extra-base hit of the season
• The multi-RBI game was the second of the season for Stagner and the 22nd of her career
• Brasher has had at least one hit and scored a run in seven of South's eight games
• Stagner has driven in at least one run in six of South's games this season
• Sims has now scored a run in six of her last eight outings
• The six-run, sixth inning marked the most runs allowed in a single inning at home since surrendering seven runs in the sixth inning versus Louisiana (3/24/19)
• Stagner and Willems both extended their hit streaks to eight games with their singles in the bottom of the sixth
Up Next
•   South Alabama will close out the South Alabama Invitational versus UAB on Sunday with first pitch versus the Blazers set for 1:30 p.m.
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