MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama rallied with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to pick up its 30th win of the season Thursday night as the Jags defeated Southern Miss, 5-4 in game one of the series at Jaguar Field.

Mackenzie Brasher lined a bases-loaded single to left to tie the game up and Marley Sims then plated the go ahead run with a RBI groundout.

Olivia Branstetter had a two-run double in the contest and walked, while Amity White was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI.

Tori Miller picked up her first save of the year as she struck out Hannah Borden – the Sun Belt leader in home runs with 18 – to end the game. Olivia Lackie improved to 21-7 as she earned the win.

South Alabama improved to 30-16-1 overall and 15-7 in the Sun Belt, while Southern Miss fell to 21-27 and 9-13 in the league with the loss. 

Borden homered to lead off the game and scored twice, while Jana Lee had a pair of hits, scored a run and drove in three, while also homering.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: "Honestly, I didn't think we played our best, but we dug in and refused to lose. We need to hold on  to this momentum and come out tomorrow playing aggressive softball."

Freshman 3B Olivia Branstetter
- On taking game one of the series: "We were coming into this game playing really good softball and we knew that winning the first game of the series was going to be important. We wanted to keep the energy up and play as a team, and we did just that."

- On her two-run double in the third: "Going up to the plate with two outs, my plan was just to get a ball that I could put in play hard. I got a ball over the plate and was able to put a good swing on it to tie the game up and give us some momentum."

Freshman OF Amity White
- On the importance of getting the win in game one of the series: "It was highly important to start this series off with a win because the closer we get to the end of the season, we need to be hitting on all cylinders because our seniors deserve to go out on top."

- On her approach at the plate as of late: "At the plate, my coaches have simplified my approach and told me to compete, and I am just doing whatever it takes for the team to win."

How It Happened 
•    Borden led off the game with a solo shot to left to give the Golden Eagles the early lead (1-0). 
•    Brasher reached on an USM fielding error and then moved into scoring position on Sims' sacrifice bunt. Branstetter drew a two-out walk to put a pair on for the Jags, but USM starter Holly Craft left the runners stranded after a fly out.
•    Maria Smith led off the top of the third with a single that was just out of reach of Branstetter. Borden then reached on an error and one batter later, Southern Miss plated its second run of the game when Lee lined a single back up the middle off Lackie, which deflected out into shallow right field, allowing Smith to score from second (USM, 2-0).
•    Bailey Welch led off the bottom half of the third with an infield single and was moved into scoring position on a sac bunt by Brasher. Two batters later, Gabby Stagner drew a four-pitch walk to keep the inning alive, and Branstetter delivered with a two-out double that got over the centerfielder's head and rolled to the wall.
•    Odalys Cordova reached on an error to begin the Jaguar fourth, and the second baseman was moved into scoring position on Sasha Willems' sacrifice bunt – the third of the game for South. White then gave South its first lead of the game as the freshman drove the ball the other way for a RBI-ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in left center (USA, 3-2). 
•    Borden walked with two outs in the top of the fifth and Lee put the Golden Eagles back out in front with a two-run home run – her second hit of the night and her fifth of the spring (USM, 4-3).
•    Willems lined a one-out single to center, and White's check swing single hugged the third-base line and stayed fair to put runners at first and second. Welch then walked for pinch runner Caitlyn Gavin and tie the game up (4-4). Sims then pulled the ball to first for a RBI ground out, scoring White and giving South a 5-4 lead.

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 27th in the all-time series between the two clubs 
•    The Jaguars hold a 20-6-1 advantage in those meetings, and South is now 10-2 in the 12 series meetings in Mobile
•    In a streak dating back to May 7, 2021, Brasher has made 157 consecutive starts, which is now one shy of tying Kristian Foster (158) for sixth all-time in the category
•    Brasher also moved into first place in all-time games played by a Jag as she has now played in 223, passing Blair Johnson's previous mark (222, 2012-15) program mark
•    With her first-inning walk, Branstetter has now reached base safely in nine of her last 11, and with her RBI-double, she has had a hit in six of her last nine
•    Welch has reached base in a career-best nine straight and 20 of her last 25, and had a hit in five of her last seven
•    Welch has also drawn a walk in seven of her last nine games, 10 total over that stretch
•    The third-inning walk extended Stagner's reached base streak to 10 games and marked the 39th game that she has reached base safely this season
•    Sasha Willems has had a hit in 13 of her last 16, recording 14 hits and five walks over that stretch
•    With her sixth-inning single, Brasher has had a hit in 15 of her last 19, tallying 24 hits over the 19-game stretch, and reached base safely in 17 of those contests
•    Brasher has also driven in a run in three-straight games, plating five over that span

Up Next
•    South Alabama will return home to host Southern Miss in its final home series of the spring. First pitch versus the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. on Friday night at Jaguar Field.

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