MOBILE, Ala. |
Gabby Stagner only had one hit on the afternoon, but she made it count as the junior drove a 3-2 pitch over the wall in center to give South Alabama a 2-1 walk-off victory over Georgia Southern as the Jags won the series Sunday afternoon at Jaguar Field.
South Alabama (23-15-1, 9-6 SBC) has now won six of its last seven games, while the Eagles dropped to 21-18 on the year and 5-10 in league play.
Olivia Lackie (17-6) scattered five hits and allowed just one run, while striking out five in the victory.
Sidney Lee was 2-for-3 at the plate and
Bailey Welch (two walks) and
Amity White (a hit and a walk) both reached base safely twice.
Katie Perkins and Faith Barth were each 2-for-4 for Georgia Southern.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On getting the series win: "It was a huge bounce-back win for us today. I think the lesson for us today comes from the run we scored in the fourth (inning). That was a team run for us. We strung some quality at-bats together and put a ball in play that was hit hard to tie it up. The other lesson for us is just to see what Gabby (Stagner) did. She's scuffling, but she hung in there and came through when it was needed the most for us. That's softball and I'm so proud of her for hanging in there and continuing the grit and grind because it hasn't been easy for her lately."
- On what the club needs to do moving forward: "We just need to get out of our own way. Yesterday, we were in our own way, and today we were in our own way. We've got to learn from that fourth inning. That was a team inning. We strung together some walks and had a hard-hit ball that they made an error on, and sometimes that's what it takes. Sometimes it's the home run and sometimes it's people working together to fight and get a run. Sometimes when things aren't working out, we're sinking into ourselves and we've got to get out of that space. If you want to be a winner, you have to think like a winner, walk like a winner and talk like a winner."
Junior 1B Gabby Stagner
- On the game-winning home run: "I knew I just had to go into the box with a good approach and look for something to hit because I've been struggling (at the plate) my previous at-bats. I was just looking for a pitch to hit and to have a quality at-bat, and it just worked out for me."
- On her reaction when she saw the ball clear the fence: "I was like 'Let's freeing go'. I needed a hit like that and it was big for our team; it was a big team win for us."
- On what the win and the series win means for the team moving forward: "It was really big for us, especially heading into our game at Mississippi State on Wednesday and then at Georgia State. We just need to keep this momentum as we go through this week."
How It Happened
• After working the count full,
Sasha Willems drew a leadoff walk in the Jaguar second, and then moved into scoring position on
Stephanie Gonzalez's sacrifice bunt. Lee then dropped in a base hit in shallow center to put a pair on for the Jags. With two outs,
Marley Sims reached on an Eagle error, loading the bases, but Morgan Kendrick was able to get a ground out to second to get out of the jam.
• Emma Davis doubled to left with two outs in the top of the third, and Katie Perkins lined a RBI single to center to give Georgia Southern the early lead (1-0).
• Welch drew her second walk in as many plate appearances to begin the bottom half of the third. She was sacrificed over a base and then moved to third on an errant throw by the Eagles on a failed pickoff attempt. With the tying run 60-feet away and one out, South was unable to do anything else as Kendrick retired the next two batters.
• The Jaguars had scoring opportunities over the first three innings, leaving five runners on base, including three in scoring position
• White and Sims each drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the fourth for South Alabama. The walks were the fourth and fifth of the contest by the Jags. South then took advantage of Georgia Southern's third defensive miscue of the game as White came around to score when
Mackenzie Brasher's bouncer got passed Delanie Thames at short (1-1).
• The two clubs each had scoring opportunities in their half of the sixth.
• Faith Barth lined a one-out single through the right side of the infield in the top of the sixth and Janai Conklin reached on a fielder's choice and Jaguar error at second. Georgia Southern then loaded the bases two batters later as Gracie Bellard drew a two-out, four-pitch walk, but Lackie was able to get a fly out to Welch in left to end the threat and keep the game tied.
• Lee lined a one-out single through the left side in the bottom half of the inning, and White lined a single back up the middle to put a pair of Jags on. However, Bailey Holland was able to get out of the jam after a foul out and a line out to short.
• Davis was hit by a pitch with two outs in the Georgia Southern seventh and Perkins singled through the right side of the infield for her second hit of the game, but for the second-straight inning, Lackie worked out of the jam as she was able to get Barth to ground out to first.
• South Alabama took advantage of the missed scoring opportunity in the bottom half of the frame as Stagner worked the count full and then launched her ninth home run of the season to straight-away center field to give the Jags the 2-1 win.
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the 29th in the all-time series between the two clubs and the 16th in Mobile
• South Alabama has now won 20 of the 28 meetings and 13 of the 15 series meetings at Jaguar Field
• Brasher made her 149th consecutive start, which ranks as the seventh longest streak all-time at South Alabama
• Brasher (208) also moved into a tie with former Jag Christin Crocker (2009-12) for fifth most starts all-time at South
• With her first-inning walk, Welch has reached base in 13 of her last 17, including seven of her last eight
• The walk-off home run marked the second of Stagner's career and her fifth walk-off RBI
• Stagner has reached base safely in 31 games this season and had at least one hit 27 of her 37 games
• The home run was the 54th – 30 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs) career extra-base hit for Stagner moving her into a tie for ninth place in the category with Haley Hopkins (54 (26-4-24), 2009-12)
• Stagner has had a hit in five of her last six and at least one RBI in four of her last six
• The win marked just the second win this season for South in which it had been either tied or trailing after four innings of play
• It was the fifth come-from-behind win of the season and the third walk-off victory for the Jags this spring
Up Next
• South Alabama will begin a seven-game road swing Wednesday night at Mississippi State with first pitch versus the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. at Nusz Park.
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