MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama was able to score three runs in the seventh but it wasn't enough as its late-inning rally attempt came up short Saturday afternoon as Georgia Southern held on for a 6-3 win at Jaguar Field to even the series.
The Eagles (21-17, 5-9 SBC) used a four-run third to take the early lead and led by six heading into the final frame. GS starter Alana Bernard (5-3) held the Jags (22-15-1, 8-6 SBC) to just two hits through her first six innings of work.
Olivia Branstetter and
Gabby Stagner each had a double, while
Sasha Willems and
Stephanie Gonzalez also had a hit and a RBI. Along with Branstetter,
Mackenzie Brasher reached base safely twice with a hit and a walk.
Tori Miller tossed 4.2 innings of relief for the Jags, striking out five and allowing just two runs on six hits.
Georgia Southern was 8-for-12 with runners on base, including 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and 5-for-11 in two-out situations, while the Jags were 2-for-10 with runners on and 0-for-6 with two outs.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On her thoughts on the game: "The bright spot today was that Tori (Miller) gave us some solid innings in relief. Other than that, we did not play with the level of play or urgency that is expected at South Alabama."
How It Happened
• Brasher walked on four-straight out of the zone to begin the bottom half of the first. After moving into scoring position after a pair of ground outs, Alana Barnard was able to get a fly out to right to leave the Jag runner at third.
• The Eagles took the early lead with four runs on four hits in the top of the third. Kyla Maxwell and Emma Davis began the inning with back-to-back singles and then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Faith Barth then lined a two-run double to the gap in left center and Janai Conklin homered on the first pitch she saw one batter later to give the Eagles a 4-0 advantage.
• Courtney Ball laid down a one-out, bunt single and Maxwell followed with a bunt-single of her own to put runners at first and second for Georgia Southern in the fourth. Davis then dropped in her second hit of the contest with a single that was just out of reach of Brasher, scoring Ball from second (GS, 5-0).
• Branstetter led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to right center – the first hit for South Alabama and just the second base runner of the contest – but Barnard
• Davis singled to center with one out in the top of the seventh, and two batters later, Barth lined a single to right to put a pair on for the Eagles. Conklin then plated her third RBI of the afternoon on GS's third-straight two-out hit (GS, 6-0).
• Stagner led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left center and pinch runner
Marlayna Capaldi then came around to score and break up the shut out one batter later on
Sasha Willems' RBI single (GS, 6-1). After an Eagle pitching change, Branstetter then drew a walk to put a pair on for South and
Stephanie Gonzalez lined a double to the gap in right center to score pinch runner
Brooklynn Bockhaus (GS, 6-2). South added another run, but that was all the Jags were able to get as Eagle reliever Bailey Holland recorded the final out for her first save of the spring.
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the 27th in the all-time series between the two clubs and the 14th in Mobile
• The win was just Georgia Southern's second in the series in Mobile, and the six runs were the most scored in the series at Jaguar Field by the Eagles as they had scored just 24 total runs in the previous 13 games
• After issuing a leadoff walk to start the game, Barnard carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning
• The loss snapped South Alabama's five-game win streak and also ended the club's seven-game win streak in the series
• It was just the sixth time this season that South has allowed 12 or more hits to an opponent this spring
• Brasher made her 148th consecutive start, which ranks as the seventh longest streak all-time at South Alabama
• Brasher (214) moved into third in games played, passing former Jags Christin Crocker (2008, '09-12), Meghan Collins (2010-13) and
Kaleigh Todd (2015-18) who all played in 2013 games
• With her leadoff walk in the opening frame, Brasher has reached base safely in 13 of her last 14, including each of her last nine, and 19 of her last 22 outings
• With her sixth-inning single, Brasher has had a hit in 11 of her last 13, tallying 18 hits over the 13-game stretch
• After her double, Stagner has reached base safely in 30 games this season and had a hit 26 of her 36 games
• Stagner (30) is one double shy of moving into a tie for eighth all-time in the career category at South – Amanda Minahan (31, 2014-17) and one (53 – 30-3-20) extra-base hit away from moving into ninth place in the category – 54 (26-4-24) Haley Hopkins (2009-12)
• Willems has had a hit in 10 of her last 12, recording 12 hits and two walks over that stretch
• Gonzalez extended her hit streak to four games and her reached base safely streak to a career-best seven games and nine of her last 10
• Gonzalez has driven in a run in five of her last seven outings
Up Next
• South Alabama will close out the series versus Georgia Southern on Sunday with first-pitch of the rubber match set for noon at Jaguar Field.
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