STARKVILLE, Miss. | Making her first career start in the circle,
Tori Miller tossed five innings of one-hit ball and
Olivia Lackie closed out the game with two innings of scoreless relief as South Alabama defeated 17th-ranked Mississippi State Wednesday night at Nusz Park.
A night after scoring 16 runs on 13 hits versus Memphis, the high-powered Bulldog (30-13) offense was held to just one hit by the Jaguar (24-15-1) pitching duo.
Mackenzie Brasher was 2-for3 with a run scored and a stolen base, while
Gabby Stagner recorded her 10th home run of the spring.
Miller moved to 1-0 on the year, while Lackie recorded her second save and the 11th of her career.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the win and what it means: "Tonight was a great road win and a big win for us from an RPI standpoint. Tori (Miller) gave us a great start and Liv (
Olivia Lackie) shut it down for her two innings. Offensively, I liked seeing us score first and then adding on with the solo shot was big as well. We had other opportunities that I would have liked to have seen us capitalize on, but we will learn from it and move forward. Overall, I was proud of our effort and thought this was a great team win."
Sophomore P Tori Miller
- On what went through her mind when she found out she was getting the start: "Just the fact that (Head) Coach (Becky) Clark and (Associate Head) Coach Hannah (Campbell) trusted me to have the ball in such a big game. Liv (
Olivia Lackie) puts everything on the line for us a lot, and knowing that she trusted me to work hard for my team meant a lot."
- On what was working for her in the circle: "My off-speed pitches worked pretty well for me tonight. I threw my change up and was able to get them off balance, and then jammed them inside a few times. I was able to work the ball all around the zone."
How It Happened
• Brasher led off the game with a single and quickly moved around the bases and scored after back-to-back wild pitches, and then stole home on the play when the Bulldogs were slow recovering the ball (USA, 1-0).
• Ella Wesolowski led off the bottom of the second with a double to the gap in right center. Pinch runner Kat Wallace advanced to third with two outs after a fly out to center. Salen Hawkins then drew a walk to put runners at the corners for the Bulldogs, who then stole second to put a pair in scoring position. Tori Miller though was able to leave the MSU runners after a pop out to second to end the frame.
• Stagner led off the top of the fourth with a home run as she blasted a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center (USA, 2-0). South Alabama threatened to do more damage after placing runners at the corners with two outs, but Josey Marron (9-7) ended the inning with a strikeout – one of her five in the contest
• Sierra Sacco drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Sacco stole second and moved to third after a throwing error. Madisyn Kennedy then drew her third-straight walk to put runners at the corners for the Bulldogs, but Miller was able to get a ground out to short to work out of the jam.
• Wesolowski reached on an error to lead off the bottom half of the sixth, but Lackie didn't allow her to advance any further as she retired the next three batters.
• Nadia Barbary reached on a two-out Jaguar error, but with the tying run aboard, Lackie struck out Kennedy looking, Mississippi State's leading home run (15) hitter and RBI leader (52), to end the game
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the 13th in the all-time series between the two clubs and the eighth in Starkville
• The Jaguars now hold a 7-6 series advantage and a 4-3 record in games played in Starkville
• The seven wins versus the Bulldogs are the most versus any SEC opponent
• South Alabama has faced six teams ranked at the time in the Top 25 this spring and now holds wins over the Bulldogs, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas State, and a tie over Arizona
• The Jags are 4-2 this season versus opponents from the SEC
• The shut-out win was the 10th of the season by Jaguar pitching and the ninth over a ranked opponent all-time
• South Alabama improved to 11-1 in "true" road games this season and was the 18th win for the club away from Mobile
• Miller made her first career start in the circle versus the Bulldogs
• The five innings by Miller in the circle were a new career high for the sophomore
• In a streak dating back to May 7, 2021, Brasher has made 150 consecutive starts, one of only seven players at South Alabama to do so in program history
• Brasher (216) also moved into a tie for second with former Jag
Kamdyn Kvistad (2018-22) in career games played
• The multi-hit effort was the 54th of Brasher's career, moving her one game from tying Emily Messer (55) for third place at South
• With her steal of home, the center fielder (136) moved into a tie with Blair Johnson (2012-15) for fourth
• Brasher has had a hit in 12 of her last 15, tallying 19 hits over the 15-game stretch
•
Marley Sims has had a hit in four of her last six and reached base safely in five of her last seven
• The leadoff home run was the fourth for Stagner as she now has 22 total for her Jaguar career
• The home run was the 10th of the season for Stagner and her second in her last three at-bats
• The last a South Alabama player to record double-digit home runs in a season was
Victoria Ortiz (12) during the 2022 season
• Stagner is now one of seven players in program history to have reached the feat in a season
• The 10 home runs by Stagner are also the third-most by a junior in a single season at South, and are tied for sixth-most by a Jag in a season – Kvistad (2021) and Kaitlyn Griffith (2013)
• Of the Jags' 20 home runs this spring, 13 have been solo shots, and sixth have led off an inning
• Stagner has reached base safely in 32 games this season, seven of her last eight, and had a hit 28 of her 38 games
• Stagner has also had at least one hit six of her last seven and at least one RBI in five of those games
• After her fourth inning walk, Olivia Branstetter has reached base safely in three of her last four
• Welch has also reached base safely in 13 of her last 18 with her fourth-inning walk
Up Next
• South Alabama will continue on the road with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Georgia State with first pitch of game one of the series set for Friday at 4 p.m. (CT).
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