MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama picked up a 3-2 victory in its opening game of the day against Murray State on Friday night, but fell 14-2 to UIC in five innings at the South Alabama Invitational presented by Marriott Mobile at Jaguar Field.

South Alabama 3, Murray State 2
Gabby Stagner moved into a tie for third place on South Alabama's career home run list with a two-run blast, and the Jags held on for a one-run victory in the first game of the day as Oliva Cato (1-0) picked the win and Ryley Harrison earned the save. Sidney Lee also had a pair of hits for the Jaguars versus the Racers.

How It Happened 
•    Murray State placed two aboard in the top of the second after a one-out single by Bailey Broemmer and a two-out walk to Alley Schyck, but Olivia Cato was able to get Taylor Franzen looking to end the threat.
•    In the bottom half of the inning South tried to get a two-out rally going as Sidney Lee lined a single down the line in left, and Ansleigh Smith followed with a liner that got over the shortstops head. Murray State's Karlye Graber was able to induce a ground out to third though to work out of the jam. 
•    Presley Lively reached for the second time in as many plate appearances with a lead-off single to center to begin the Jaguar third. With one out Lively stole third, and Stagner then put South Alabama out in front as the senior unloaded on a 3-2 pitch, driving it deep over the wall in left center (USA, 2-0) 
•    The Racers answered back with a two-out run in the top of the fourth. Rylee Webb led off the frame with an infield single that deflected off Cato's glove, and with two away, Schyck dropped in a double that was just out of reach of Amity White's diving effort in left, allowing Webb to score (USA,  
•     South got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning. Megan Davidson lined a ball off Murray State relief pitcher Alyson Smith for a base hit and Sidney Lee walked to put two aboard, and the two runners then both moved up a base on a wild pitch with one away, Smith looked as if she might get out of the inning unscathed with a ground out to short and a base-running mistake by the Jags. However, obstruction was called on the play at second, allowing Lee to be ruled safe and Davidson's run to count (USA, 3-1).
•    Murray State brought the tying run to the plate after Emmerson Mckinnis's pinch-hit single. With two outs, Kenley Minor beat the throw to first for a two-out, infield single, scoring McKinnis from second to trim the Jaguar advantage to 3-2.

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the eighth in the all-time series, and the Jaguars now lead 6-2
•    The two clubs will also meet in three weeks at the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford, Miss.
•    With her walk to lead off the second, Stephanie Gonzalez has reached base safely in eight of her last nine dating back to the end of the 2024 season
•    Lee has reached base safely in eight of her last nine with her second-inning single
•    With her two-run home run in the third, Stagner (28) moved into a tie in the career category at South with Christin Crocker (2009-12) and Kaitlyn Griffith (2012-15) for third
•    Stagner (109) also passed Haley Hopkins (108, 2009-12) and Kristian Foster (108, 2015-18) for eighth on the career RBI list with the blast
•    The home run also extended her reached base safely to a career-best, 20-straight games dating back to the end of the 2024 season
•    The 20 games reached base safely streak for Stagner is now tied for 11th-longest streak at South with former Jag Tara Donaldson's streak set during the 2009 season

UIC 14, South Alabama 2 (5 Inn.)
In the nightcap, UIC (1-1) took advantage of South Alabama miscues as the Jaguars committed five errors on defense, threw four wild pitches (all with a runner at third) and issued seven walks. 

South Alabama (2-1) also recorded just two hits on the night, an inside-the-park home run by Presley and a single by White.

Five batters scored two or more runs, led by Nina Pesare's four, which were the most by a Jaguar opponent since UT Arlington's Whitney Walton (3/10/19). Grace Fleming drove in a team-best five runs for the Flames.

How It Happened 
•    Cameran Rios walked on four-straight to lead things off and Pesare reached on a fielder's choice in the top of the first inning. The two runners then moved up a base on a wild pitch, and after a strikeout, Emma Gumont was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After working the count full, Grace Fleming then drew another walk to score the first run of the game (UIC, 1-0). Siena Stickey followed with a single to left to plate the second run (UIC, 2-0). The final three runs of the inning all came on wild pitches to stretch the visitor's lead to 5-0. Lively prevented another run from scoring as she ended the inning by gunning down Sequoia Sanchez at home after a fly out to center.
•    Lively walked, stole second and moved to third with two outs on a fly out to the warning track in left. Olivia Branstetter and Davidson then drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, but UIC's Jasmine Worley escaped the early jam with a ground out to second.
•    UIC added two more unearned runs its next time up on an air of hits and three Jaguar errors (UIC, 7-0)
•    South Alabama finally got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Caitlin Gavin drew a two-out walk, and Lively then drove a 2-1 offering into the gap in right center and raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to trim the deficit to five (7-2)
•    The Flames answered back two innings later with four more runs. After a pair of singles by Pesare and Hailey Cowing began the frame Fleming lined a single to right center to score a pair (UIC, 9-2). After a walk to Siena Stickney, Sanchez plated another run with a RBI single to center (UIC, 10-2). The Flames then added another run on South's fourth error of the game (UIC, 11-2).
•    The Flames tacked on three more runs in the fifth.

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the first in the series between the two clubs
•    Lively has walked in all three games this spring
•    The inside-the-park home run by Lively marked the first by a Jag since Haleigh Lowe (at Troy, 4/18/18), and the first at Jaguar Field by a South Alabama since Emily Messer (Georgia Southern, 4/12/15)
•    It was the fifth in program history and the third at Jaguar Field
•    Stagner extended her reached-base safely streak to 21 straight with a leadoff walk to begin the bottom of the third
•    The 21-straight games mark is tied for seventh-longest in program history: Mackenzie Brasher (2023), Abby Allen (2022), Brittani Reid (2019) and Chloe Rathburn (2014)
•    White has had a hit in six of her last eight games and reached base safely in seven of her last nine

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out play at the South Alabama Invitational with a pair of games on Saturday, taking on Northwestern State at 4:30 p.m. and UIC at 7 p.m.

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