SAN MARCOS, Texas |
Bailey Welch's 12th-inning walk-off home run Thursday afternoon gave third-seeded South Alabama a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded ULM in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship held at Bobcat Stadium.
With the win, South Alabama (32-17-1) will now take on the winner of second-seeded Texas State/10th-seeded Marshall in the semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m.
The home run for Welch was her third of the season and the fourth of her Jaguar career.
Olivia Branstetter 3-for-5 at the plate, while Welch reached twice with the home run and a walk.
Olivia Lackie tossed all 12 innings for the Jags in the circle, holding ULM (31-24) to just six hits, while striking out seven and issuing just one walk.
Meagan Brown was 3-for-5 in the loss for the Warhawks.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: "Liv (
Olivia Lackie) did a great job today. We got behind and were able to scratch back and tie the game as she kept us in the game. It was the hottest part of the day, and for her to dig in there and keep us in the game until we could get the big hit was huge."
- On getting ready for tomorrow: "This is the postseason and the time that you've just got to go out there and get it done. We'll get some food tonight, get some recovery, and get ready to go again tomorrow. This was a long game, so obviously we'll do some extra recovery."
Senior P Olivia Lackie
- On how she kept focused: "The fact that any game could be our last game kept me motivated throughout. I was out there fighting not only for myself, but for all the other seniors that this or the next game could be our last. My favorite part of the game is going out there and battling for my team. When I'm pitching, that's who I'm pitching for.
Senior OF Bailey Welch
- On the home run: "If you had been watching the game, you'd seen that I had been scuffling my previous at-bats. I thought I was seeing the ball well, but I wasn't barreling them up the way I wanted to. Going into that at-bat, I knew I just had to be aggressive; that's when I'm at my best. I prayed before that at-bat and just wanted to stay the course. I kept telling myself that I had been here before. I just wanted to find a pitch I could hit, which is what I did, and I barreled it up."
How It Happened
•
Stephanie Gonzalez drew a lead-off walk to begin the bottom half of the third, and two batters later with two away in the inning the inning was kept alive after a ULM error, placing runners at first and second, but Maddie Nichols induced a fly out to center to leave the runners stranded.
• Brown led off the fourth with her second hit of the game and she then moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Brown then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and two batters later Carys Platt walked to put runners at the corners, but on the very next pitch, Platt was called out for leaving early at first to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
• Marissa Zenzen lined a one-out double into the right center gap in the top of the fifth, and two batters later, the Warhawks took the lead with a two-out double off the wall in left center from Jacelyn Buck (ULM, 1-0).
• After getting down in the count early, Welch battled back to draw a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning. With two out in the inning, Welch stole second to move into scoring position – her seventh of the spring – and South Alabama looked like it might tie the game up, but Welch was thrown out at home trying to score on a single by
Mackenzie Brasher.
• Brown recorded her third hit in as may at bats to start the top of the sixth and was moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt
•
Marely Sims reached on an infield single to start the bottom of the sixth, and with one out in the inning, Branstetter singled to left to put a pair aboard. Both runners then moved up a base on a wild pitch, and a couple pitches later, Sims beat the throw home after a RBI ground out by Willems to tie the game at 1-1.
• Branstetter lined a single to center – her third hit of the game – with one out in the 11th and the freshman third baseman then stole second to move into scoring position, but Gianni Huelett (1-2) retired the next two Jaguar batters to leave the runner stranded.
• In the bottom of the 12th, Welch lifted a 3-1 pitch that carried over the wall in left center for the game winner (USA, 2-1).
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the 56th series meeting and the seventh time the two clubs have met in the Sun Belt Conference Championship
• The Jaguars now hold a 47-9 overall record and are 7-0 in the postseason versus the Warhawks
• The meeting also marked the fifth time – first since 2017 – that the two teams have faced each other in their first SBC tournament game
• The extra-inning game was the fifth of the season for the Jags and the seventh in the all-time series (USA, 6-0)
• South Alabama is also now 6-1 in extra-inning games at the Sun Belt tournament
• In a streak dating back to May 7, 2021, Brasher made her 160th consecutive start, moving her into a tie with Stephanie Pilkington (160) for fifth-longest streak all-time at South
• With her first-inning single,
Gabby Stagner extended her reached base safely streak to 13 games, and she has at least one hit in 15 of her last 18
• Willems has had a hit in 15 of her last 19, recording 16 hits and eight walks over that stretch
• Gonzalez has reached base safely in 11 of her last 14 after drawing the leadoff walk in the third
• Welch has reached base in 11 of her last 12 – 22 of her last 28 – and drawn a walk in nine of her last 12 games, 12 total over that stretch
• Welch has either scored a run or driven in a run in eight of her last 10, and had a hit in seven of her last 10
• Brasher has had a hit in 16 of her last 22, tallying 25 hits over the 22-game stretch, and reached base safely in 19 of those contests
• Branstetter has had a hit in six-straight games and nine of her last 12 and reaching base safely in 12 of her last 14
• Branstetter now has six multi-hit games this spring and the three-hit outing was her fourth of the season
• Sims has scored at least one run in four of her last five; five runs
Up Next
• South Alabama will advance to take on the winner of second-seeded Texas State/10th-seeded Marshall on Friday at 7 p.m. in the semifinal round.
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