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2
Winner South Alabama USA 14-8-1
0
St. Francis SFU 13-11
Winner
South Alabama USA
14-8-1
2
Final
0
St. Francis SFU
13-11
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
South Alabama USA 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 1
St. Francis SFU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

W: Lackie, Olivia (10-3) L: MARSDEN (7-5)

Olivia Lackie
Alex Hall

Game Recap: Softball |

Jags Ride Dominant Effort by Lackie to Close Out Play at the Razorback Rumble

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. | South Alabama's Olivia Lackie was nearly perfect as the senior led the Jaguars to a 1-0 shutout of Saint Francis on Sunday in the club's final game of the Razorback Rumble held at Bogle Park.

The Jaguars improved to 14-8-1 on the spring, while the Red Flash fell to 13-11 with the loss.

Lackie improved to 10-3 on the season and recorded her 34th career complete game, while striking out 13 batters and allowing just one base hit. The complete-game shutout marked the 34th of her career and was the 60th time that the senior has gone the distance during her time in Mobile.

Lackie recorded multiple strikeouts in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth innings, striking out the side in the third. Lackie was able to get ahead of the Red Flash as she threw 20 first-pitch strikes to the 25 batters she faced, getting ahead in the count 0-2 on 10 occasions.

Mackenzie Brasher was 2-for-4 at the plate scoring a run and driving in a run, while also stealing her 15th base of the spring.

SFU starting pitcher Rachel Marsden (7-5) was just as impressive in the circle as allowed five hits and struck out eight batters. South Alabama was able to have the leadoff batter reach in five of her seven innings of work, but she allowed just the two runs.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the win and Olivia Lackie's performance in the circle: "We have not played well all weekend so it was important for us to end the tournament with a win. Liv was dominant today and did enough at the plate to get it done. We need a great week of regroup and practice this week. It will definitely be nice to finally be back on our home field."

Senior P Olivia Lackie
- On her performance in the circle and closing out the weekend with a win: "Going out on the field today, I just wanted to give my team the best chance possible to win. My focus was on making one pitch at a time and getting us out of the inning, so that we could try and produce some runs at the plate. It was great that we closed this weekend out on a win so that we could gain some momentum moving into next week against Louisiana."

Graduate Senior CF Mackenzie Brasher
- On getting the win and her performance at the top of the lineup: "Not every win is going to be pretty, but digging in and finding a way is what this team is about. Lackie did a great job in the circle, so it was the hitters' job to back her up. Having a quality at bat as a lead off sets the tone of the game. Sometimes when you aren't having much success at the plate, you have to put the ball on the ground and let it find a hole. Getting a win before going into conference play next week was important and we are going to build off of it."

How It Happened 
•    Brasher led off the game with a single through the left side of the infield and then promptly stole second to move into scoring position. The senior centerfielder then came around to score two batters later when Sasha Willems reached on a two-base error (USA, 1-0).
•    Savannah Nash walked to start the second for Saint Francis, who then moved all the way around to third on a sacrifice bunt when the bag was left uncovered. With the potential tying run 60-feet away, Lackie bared down and struck out the next two Red Flash batters to end the inning.
•    Gabby Stagner led off the top of the third with a double – her eighth of the season – to center, and was moved up a base on Willems' sacrifice bunt, but SFU's Marsden was able to retire the next two Jaguar batters to get out of the jam.
•    Saint Francis put multiple base runners on in the bottom of the fifth as Lexi Hernandez reached on an error and Lauren Aubry lined a single to left – the first hit of the contest for the Red Flash. With two outs, Ashley Orischak was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Lackie was able to get Kalie Walters to fly out to center to work out of the jam.
•    Bailey Welch walked with one away in the top of the seventh and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. With two outs in the inning, Brasher dropped in her second hit of the contest with a RBI single to left, scoring Welch from second (USA, 2-0) for a much needed insurance run.
•    Lackie closed out the game and set Saint Francis down in order in the bottom half of the seventh – her fifth 1-2-3 inning of the contest

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the first in the all-time series between the two clubs 
•    Brasher made her 133rd consecutive start of her career, which ranks as ninth-longest such streak in program history
•    The multi-hit game was the 49th of Brasher's career, moving her into sole possession of fifth place in the category and was her seventh of the season, which is tied with Stagner for most on the team
•    Brasher (74) is one stolen base from tying Kaleigh Todd's (75, 2015-18) program mark
•    Brasher is also now 10 hits shy of joining the 200-hit club at South Alabama where she would join Todd, Brittany Fowler (213, 2010-13), Emily Messer (208, 2013-16) and Johnson (203)
•    Lackie carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before allowing a single to Aubry
•    With her first-inning stolen base, Brasher moved within one of tying Kaleigh Todd's (75, 2015-18) career mark
•    Marley Sims has had at least one hit in three of her last four games
•    Stagner's third-inning double was the 27th of her career, moving her into a tie for ninth all-time in the category with former Jags Kristian Foster (2015-18) and Kennedy Cronan (2019-22)
•    Bailey Welch has had a hit in four of her last seven games and reached base safely in five times over that stretch
•    The 13-strikeout performance marked the 22nd of Lackie's career, moving her passed Farish Beard (2012-15) and into sole possession of second place in the category
•    The 13 strikeouts also set a new season high for Lackie, eclipsing her previous total of 12 vs. Notre Dame (2/9) in her first outing of the spring at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
•    Lackie (772) is 28 punch outs from becoming just the second Jaguar pitcher to reach 800 strikeouts for her career

Up Next
•    South Alabama will return home to open up Sun Belt Conference play next weekend with a three-game series versus Louisiana. Game one versus the Ragin' Cajuns at Jaguar Field is set to get underway Friday night at 6 p.m. with games two and three of the series scheduled for Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). 

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama Softball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaSB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaSB (Facebook), @SouthAlabamaSB (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.
 
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Scoring Summary

Score By Innings
Play USA SFU
USA TOP 1st S. Willems reached on a fielding error by ss (0-0); M. Brasher scored, unearned. 1 0
USA TOP 7th M. Brasher singled to left field, advanced to second on the throw, RBI (2-1 BKB); B. Welch scored. 2 0

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