MONROE, La. |
Olivia Branstetter's 13th-inning home run gave South Alabama the lead for good and
Olivia Lackie went the distance as the Jags completed the series sweep over ULM with a 5-4 victory Sunday afternoon at the ULM Softball Complex.
Branstetter finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate and reached base in five of her seven plate appearances, while also driving in a pair.
Shelby Garrett also had three hits and scored a run, while
Odalys Cordova and
Sasha Willems had two hits each.
Lackie (12-5) tossed all 13 innings for the Jags (17-11-1, 3-3 SBC) and allowed just one run over her final 10 innings of work in the circle.
ULM (19-14, 2-4 SBC) was led at the plate by Andie Edwards, who was 3-for-6 with a RBI. Lourdes Bacon, Carys Platt and Elle Carter also had two hits each.
Senior P Olivia Lackie
- On the gutsy performance by the team: "This may not have been the best 13 innings of ball we have ever played, but it was awesome how we dug in and still figured out a way to win despite the challenges that ULM threw at us. A win like this can certainly give us the confidence moving forward that we have the ability to dig in and figure out a way to win when things get tough."
Freshman 3B Olivia Branstetter
- On returning to the lineup and making a big impact: "I knew today was going to be an important game so we could finish the series with a sweep. I was just going up the plate looking for a ball I could drive. In the field I was trying to minimize the bunt game and make plays."
- On her home run in the top of the 13th: "Going into the 13th inning, I was looking for a ball that I could get a barrel on and drive and get a runner in scoring position. Thankfully, that at bat worked in our favor and we were able to go on defense and end the game."
How It Happened
• Willems drew a one-out walk after a 12-pitch at-bat in the opening frame and then moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. With two outs in the frame, Branstetter drew a walk, and Cordova then snuck a single through the right side of the infield, scoring Willems from second to give South the early lead (1-0).
• Bacon led off the bottom of the first with a single back up the middle and then moved up to second on a sac bunt. With two outs in the inning, Meagan Brown reached on a bunt single, and on the play, Bacon kept running on the play and beat the throw home to tie the game (1-1).
• South Alabama regained the lead the next half inning.
Bailey Welch and
Erin McGlothlin both walked to start things off, and
Marley Sims drove the ball back up the middle to score Welch and put the Jags back on top (USA, 2-1).
Mackenzie Brasher then reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Two batters later, Branstetter delivered a RBI single to left, scoring McGlothlin (USA, 3-1).
• Maryssa Zenzen was hit by a pitch and Edwards reached on a bunt single to put a pair on in the bottom of the second. The two runners were then sacrificed over and ULM's Carter executed a squeeze punt to trim the South Alabama lead to 3-2. Another fielder's choice bunt loaded the bases for the Warhawks with one out, but after a fly out, the Jaguar defense came up big as Welch made a diving grab in shallow left to preserve the one-run lead.
• South Alabama had a chance to extend its lead, placing a pair on to start the third. Cordova recorded her second hit of the afternoon as she lined a single to right, and Garrett followed with a single of her own to left to put a pair abroad, but Gianni Hulett retired the next three batters to hold the Jags off the scoreboard.
• Me. Brown walked to begin the bottom half of the third and then moved into scoring position with a stolen base. With two outs, Me. Brown stole third and then came home after a RBI single by Edwards to tie the game, 3-3.
•
Sydney Lee and Branstetter each drew two-out walks in the top of the ninth, and both runners then moved up a base with a delayed double steal, but ULM reliever Bristin Bordeau was able to get a fly out to right to work out of the jam.
• Garrett dumped in a single along the line in left to open the 10th inning for South. The Jag first baseman was then moved into scoring position on Welch's sacrifice bunt. Bordeau though retired the next two to leave the runner stranded.
• In the top of the 11th, Willems doubled off the top of the wall in left center with one away.
Brooklynn Bockhaus then laid down a beautiful bunt and put runners at the corners when she dove for the bag and beat the throw. Maddie Nichols (7-7), who started the game, re-entered the contest and got out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly out to center.
• With two outs, Kelsey Giddens moved into scoring position after a wild pitch, but Lackie was able to get Carter to line out to Sims at short.
• Garrett led off the 12th with a double to left center and moved to third on Welch's second sacrifice bunt of the game.
Sophia Mendoza and Sims then drew back-to-back one-out walks to load the bases. A wild pitch with Brasher at the plate by Nichols broke the tie, scoring Garrett from third (USA, 4-3).
• Bacon led off the bottom half of the inning with a double to center, and Platt beat the throw to first for an infield single. The two were then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, and Me. Brown tied the game back up at 4-4 with a sac fly to center.
• With one out in the top of the 13th, Branstetter broke the tie when she drove a 2-1 offering from Nichols over the wall in left (USA, 5-4).
• ULM placed the tying run aboard in the bottom half of the inning as Edwards lined a one-out single to center. Cordova then turned in her third outstanding defensive play hauling in a catch going back on the ball in shallow right center and Garrett made an outstanding play at first to end the game and seal the sweep.
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the 55th in the all-time series between the two clubs
• The 55 series meetings are second most versus a Sun Belt opponent, and only trail Louisiana (59)
• The game marked the sixth in the series to go into extra innings (USA, 6-0), the fourth in Monroe, and was the longest in the series
• The last time the two clubs went into extras came at the 2017 Sun Belt Conference tournament in Troy, Ala.
• The 13-inning game tied for the second-longest in program history and was the longest for South Alabama since a 16-inning contest at Nichols State (2/25/20)
• Jags are now 46-9 in the series and 24-5 in on the Warhawks' home field
• South has won 11-straight in the series and 12 of the last 13
• In a streak dating back to May 7, 2021, Brasher has made 136 consecutive starts at South Alabama
• South Alabama scored first all three games of the series and improved to 8-0 when scoring in the first inning and 14-2 when scoring before the opponent
• Sims has had at least one hit in six of her last nine games, tallying nine hits over that stretch
• Branstetter has now reached base safely in her last six games
• The multi-hit game was the third of the spring for Cordova and her second of the series
• The two hits marked the fourth multi-hit game in 2o24 for Willems and the 12th of her career
• The three hits by Garrett were a career best for the redshirt-sophomore
• Lackie (789) is now 11 strikeouts from becoming just the second Jaguar pitcher to reach 800 strikeouts for her career
Up Next
• South Alabama will return home to host McNeese State Tuesday evening for the first of four-straight at Jaguar Field. First pitch versus the Cowgirls is set for 5 p.m.
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