DECATUR, Ga. | South Alabama extended its win streak to five games as it swept both games of a doubleheader at Georgia State on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.

Mackenzie Brasher moved into second place all-time in hits as she now has 215 for her Jaguar career to go along with 83 stolen bases. 

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the road sweep: "These were three big wins on the road. We had great pitching and defense, along with timely hitting. Now, we head back home and will get ready for another tough weekend."

Game 1 – South Alabama 6, Georgia State 2
As they did in the series opener, the Jags (26-15-1, 11-6 SBC) jumped out early with a pair of runs and led by as many as six, while Tori Miller (2-0) was solid in the circle as South took game one of the doubleheader, 6-2 from Georgia State (11-34, 1-16 SBC). 

Olivia Branstetter reached base all four of her plate appearances as she was 3-for-3 with a double – her seventh of the spring – scored a run, drove in a run and walked. Bailey Welch added three RBI with a double.

Miller tossed the first complete game of her career and in her seven innings of work, the sophomore allowed just two runs on four hits and struck out a pair. Miller also retired the Panthers in order in five of her seven innings of work.

How It Happened 
•    Brasher drew a walk to start the game, and two batters later, Gabby Stagner lined a double to left center, scoring Brasher from first (USA, 1-0). Pinch runner Erin McGlothlin moved up to third on a fly out to center, and then came home on Branstetter's infield hit (USA, 2-0).
•    Ashton Schrayer led off the bottom half of the first with a double and Chloe Middlebrooks then put runners at the corners as she reached on an error. With runners at second and third after a stolen base, but Miller retired the next three with a pair of ground outs to third and a strikeout looking.
•    Stagner drew a walk to start the top of the third for South Alabama, and Sasha Willems reached on a Panther error to put runners at first and second. Branstetter then walked to load the bases – the fourth time in the series the Jags had done so and the third time for Stephanie Gonzalez. The junior second baseman worked the count full and then drew the third-straight walk of the inning to score Stagner (USA 3-0). With two outs in the inning, Welch cleared the bags with a three-run double to the gap in right center to double the South Alabama advantage (USA, 6-0). 
•    Payton Nicholson singled through the right side of the infield in the bottom half of the sixth – ending a stretch of 15-straight retired by Miller. The Panthers then loaded the bases after two more infield hits. Jaycee Godwin then reached on an error to score a run (USA, 6-1). Chloe Nadler then lifted a ball to right for a sacrifice fly to trim the Jaguar lead to four (6-2). Miller prevented any more damage as she retired the final two batters.

Postgame Notes
•    Brasher made her 152nd consecutive start for the Jaguars
•    The start for Brasher (211) also tied her with Kaitlyn Griffith (2012-15) and Meghan Collins (2010-13) for third most at South
•    With her leadoff walk to start the game, Brasher has now reached base in 15 of her last 17
•    The center fielder (137) moved passed Blair Johnson (136, 2012-15) for sole possession of fourth in runs scored with her run in the top of the first
•    The RBI double was the 32nd of Stagner's career and she has reached base safely in 34 games this season, eight of her last nine with at least one RBI in those contests, and had a hit in 30 of her 40 games, including five straight 
•    Branstetter has had a hit in four of her last five and reached base safely in five of her last six
•    The two-hit day marked the sixth multi-hit game of the spring for Branstetter
•    Welch has now reached base in 15 of her last 20 outings, and had a hit in each of her last three
•    The bases-loaded walk for Gonzalez marked the seventh time in her last nine games in which she has driven in a run

Game 2 – South Alabama 4, Georgia State 0
For the fourth-straight game and third time in the series, South Alabama's offense got off to a quick start with four runs in the opening frame and it was all that Olivia Lackie (19-6) needed as the Jags (27-15-1, 12-6 SBC) completed the series sweep over Georgia State (11-35, 1-17 SBC) with a 4-0 win.

At one point, Lackie retired 17-straight at one point until a seventh-inning single by Chloe Middlebrook. The shutout was the eight of the season by senior righty 39th of her career. Lackie allowed just two hits and struck out six in the win.

Stagner supplied the big blow with a three-run home run. Odalys Cordova added a pair of hits as well.

How It Happened 
•    Once again, South Alabama got out of the gates quickly with four runs on five hits. Brasher and Willems led off the game with a pair of singles, and Stagner unloaded on the first pitch she saw from Kate Kastelic for her 11th home run of the spring (USA, 3-0). Branstetter followed with her fourth-straight hit of the doubleheader – a double to left center – and two batters later, McGlothlin, pinch running for Branstetter moved to third after a single by Cordova, and then came home for the fourth run of the inning on Welch's squeeze bunt (USA, 4-0). 

Postgame Notes
•    South Alabama has won eight straight in the series and 11 of last 13 meetings
•    Brasher started her 153rd straight game and tied Brittany Fowler (212, 2010-13) for second in career starts at South Alabama
•    With the four-run first, the Jaguars have now scored in the opening frame in four-straight games
•    Brasher's lead-off single also moved the graduate senior past Fowler (213) in career hits as she now sits in third place in the category with 214
•    Brasher has had a hit in 14 of her last 18, tallying 23 hits over the 18-game stretch, and has reached base safely 16 times over that stretch
•    Willems has had a hit in 12 of her last 17, recording 14 hits and five walks over that stretch
•    Four of Stagner's 11 home runs this season have either tied the game or given the Jags the lead
•    The 11 home runs are also tied for third-most in a single season at South Alabama
•    Stagner (23) is one home run shy of moving into a tie in the career category at South – Haley Hopkins (24, 2009-12) 
•    Stagner (58 – 32-3-23) moved into a tie for eighth with Meghan Collins (58, 40-1-17 | 2010-13)
•    Stagner has reached base safely in 35 games this season, nine of her last 10, and had a hit 31 of her 41 games, including six straight
•    The junior first baseman has had at least one hit nine of her last 11 and at least one RBI in eight of those outings
•    The three RBI marked the 23rd multi-RBI game for Stagner moving her into a tie with Stephanie Pilkington (2013-16) and Kennedy Cronan (2019-22) for 12th most in the category
•    Stagner now has 96 RBI for her career two shy of moving into the Top 10 of the career category 
•    With her first-inning double, Branstetter has had a hit in five of her last six and reached base safely in six of her last seven
•    The six strikeouts moved Lackie to 850 for her career

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out its seven-game road stretch with a three-game series at Troy next weekend. First pitch versus the Trojans is set for 6 p.m. Friday night.

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