HAMMOND, La. | Olivia Lackie struck out eight and three Jaguars posted multi-hit games as South Alabama picked up a 9-1, run-rule road victory Tuesday night over Southeastern Louisiana at North Oak Park.

Lackie (6-1) held Southeastern Louisiana's (8-2) potent offense to just four hits and only allowed an unearned run. The Lions (8-2) entered the game averaging six runs a game and batting .386 as a team, but Lackie was able to nearly shut them out.

South Alabama improved to 8-2 on the year and were led at the plate by Mackenzie Brasher, Gabby Stagner and Olivia Branstetter who had two hits apiece. Brasher also scoffed twice, while Stagner and Branstetter crossed the plate three times with the latter also driving in a run. 

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the road win over a quality opponent: "Southeastern is a solid team and well coached, so tonight was a great road win. Our goal was to apply pressure from start to finish and I thought we did that. Liv (Olivia Lackie) pitched a great game and our offense played with a lot of focus. This is how we want to play every time out, so the goal becomes to be consistent with this level of play."

Senior P Olivia Lackie
- On her performance in the circle: "Midweek games are always tough, so I'm proud of my team and myself for going out there and getting the job done. I was focusing on making good pitches and letting the rest happen. This was a big win for us as it sets the tone for the weekend ahead against some great competition."

Freshman third baseman Olivia Branstetter
- On bouncing back with the two-hit performance after a rough weekend: "It was a long rough weekend this past weekend and I just told myself to reset and let it go. I kept the same approach that I have been having. I worked in the cage to adjust my timing, so I think that's was the biggest thing. Going into the game tonight, I just told myself to get on time and swing at good pitches, and all I was hoping for was good contact and I'm glad that it worked out."

- On the aggressiveness of the lineup: "The aggressiveness of our lineup is something we've been trying to accomplish. I think we all did a good job of locking in and getting ready before the game. We knew what pitches and what speed we were looking for before we stepped in the box. I am really proud of us tonight and I think our hitting is starting to click. We need to keep the aggressive mindset and take that into our games this week. If we do that our lineup will be unstoppable."

How It Happened 
•    South Alabama sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning and jumped out to a three-run lead. Brasher led off the game with an infield single, and Stagner reached on a two-base Lion error that put runners at second and third. Sasha Willems then put the Jags on top when she drove in a run on a fielder's choice as Brasher slid safely under the tag at home (USA, 1-0). Branstetter was then hit by a pitch to load the bases and the Jags added another run as Stagner scored (USA, 2-0) from third after another fielder's choice RBI. SELA was later charged with its second error of the inning when Gracie Tentinger reached and moved to second, allowing Branstetter to come home (USA, 3-0)
•    Maria Detillier lined a two-out double to the gap in left center, but Lackie struck out Bailey Krolczyk to end the inning and leave the Lion runner standing at second.
•    The Jags added to their lead the next half inning as Stagner lined a two-out double and then came home after SELA's third defensive miscue of the game (USA, 4-0).  
•    With one out in the bottom of the second, the Lions put a pair of runners on after a pair of infield singles. The two runners were moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt, but Lackie battled back to strike out Colleen Kulivan and strand the runners.
•    Willems drew a leadoff walk after getting down 0-2 in the count to start the top of the fifth for South Alabama, and Branstetter shot one through the hole on the right side of the infield to put runners at the corners. With two outs in the inning, Branstetter swiped her second bag of the season to put a pair of Jags in scoring position. Bailey Welch then drew South's second walk of the inning to load the bases, setting the table for Stephanie Gonzalez who delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-0.
•    Brasher and Stagner began the sixth with back-to-back singles, their second hits of the contest. Willems then dropped in a single in right and on the play, the throw home got away from SELA's catcher, allowing Brasher to come home (USA, 7-0). Branstetter followed with a RBI single of her own to stretch the Jaguar lead to 8-0. Brooklynn Bockhaus then doubled over the centerfielder's head to score Branstetter (USA, 9-0).
•    With two runners aboard, a two-out Jaguar error prevented the shutout as Brilee Broussard scored when Maddie Watson reached on the defensive miscue. 

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 15th in the all-time series between the two clubs and the first since the 2012 season
•    The Jaguars have now won 13 of the 15 previous series meetings
•    Hitters 1-thru-4 in the South Alabama lineup combined to record seven of South's hits and scored all nine runs
•    The 10 hits marked the third time this season that the Jaguar offense has reached double digits
•    Brasher made her 120th consecutive start, and made her 149th start in center field
•    The senior centerfielder extended her hit streak to six games with her infield single in the opening frame
•    Brasher has had at least one hit and scored a run in nine of her 10 outings this spring
•    With her two hits, Brasher (46) moved into a tie with Victoria Ortiz (2019-23) for sixth in the category, and is now two shy of moving into the Top 5 at South
•    Brasher (180) also moved into a tie for fifth place with Christin Crocker (2009-12) in the category
•    The multi-hit game was the 23rd of Stagner's South Alabama career
•    Stagner extended her hit streak to a career-best 10 games, including six multi-hit games, including each of her last four
•    With her second-inning double, Stagner has recorded an extra-base hit in each of her last six games: three doubles, two triples and two home runs over that stretch
•    Of Stagner's 17 hits this spring, 10 have gone for extra bases
•    Willems extended her career-best hit streak to 10 games with her RBI single in the sixth inning
•    The Jag catcher has driven in a run in four straight
•    Everyone in SELA lineup entered the game batting .273 or better with eight of the nine batting .333 or higher

Up Next
•    South Alabama will continue on the road as it will travel to Columbia, S.C. to compete at the Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. The Jags will open up with UMass on Friday at 9 a.m. (CT).

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