OXFORD, Miss. | South Alabama softball split its two games on Saturday on day two of the Ole Miss Classic held at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium, falling to Murray State, 5-2 in the opening game, but bouncing back with a 10-5 win over Nicholls State in the final game of the doubleheader.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On her thoughts on the two games: "We had a tough outing in the first game, but had a good bounce-back win in the second. We have got to figure out the up and down part moving forward, and lock in to the things that bring us success."

Murray State 5, South Alabama 2
A three-run fourth proved to be the difference as Murray State 95-8) took game one of the day, 5-2.  Sidney Lee homered for the Jags (10-8) and Gabby Stagner also drove in a run with a RBI-triple. 

How It Happened 
•    Parker Holcombe lined a one-out single to left in the first, and she was then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Holcombe then moved up to third on a wild pitch and came into score one batter later on Ava Ozment's double to right center (MUR, 1-0) to give the Racers the early lead.
•    South Alabama threatened to get the run back in the bottom of the inning. After working the count full, Amity White drew a one-out walk after a nine-pitch at-bat. Two batters later, Olivia Branstetter lined a double down the third-base line to put runners at second and third, but Karlye Graber (1-3) was able to strand the two Jaguar runners with a strikeout. 
•    Bailey Broemmer reached on a Jaguar error with one away in the top of the second, but Ashleia Coble (0-2), making her first collegiate start, struck out the next two batters to strand the runner.
•    Erin Lackey drew a leadoff walk to begin the top of the fourth, and with one away, the Racer left fielder moved up a base on a wild pitch. Summer Ray and Rylee Webb later walked with two away in the inning to load the bases for Murray State. Lackey then came home on a wild pitch to extend the deficit to two runs (MUR, 2-0). Huels followed with a two-run single to left, doubling the Racers' lead (MUR, 4-0).
•    Sidney Lee put the Jags on the board with a one-out solo shot over the wall in center in the bottom half of the inning (MUR, 4-1).
•    Brooklynn Bockhaus dropped in a bloop single on the infield to start the bottom of the fifth for the Jags and flip over the line up. Presley Lively then recorded an infield single of her own. The two Jaguars were moved up a base on Amity White's sac bunt, but Graber worked out of the jam as she retired the next two South Alabama batters.
•    Kenly Minor reached on an infield single to begin the seventh, and she moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. With two away, Alley Shyck was intentionally walked and pinch hitter Hannah Sutton lined a RBI double off the wall in right to extend the Racer advantage (5-1).
•    Lively drew her team-leading 15th walk with one out in the bottom of the seventh, and the freshman came into score on Stagner's two-out triple (MUR, 5-2).

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 10th in the series between the two programs, and the third this season
•    Amity White has reached base safely in 10 of her last 11 games and 15 of her 18 games this spring
•    Branstetter has reached base in 14 of her last 18 games
•    With her walk, Caitlyn Gavin has reached base in 13 of her 17 games this spring
•    The home run for Lee was the second of her Jaguar career, and she has had a hit in five of her last seven
•    Stephanie Gonzalez has reached base safely in seven of her last nine after her fourth-inning single
•    Lively has reached base safely in seventh straight and 15 of her 18 games
•    Lively has also had at least one hit in six-straight games, and seven of her last eight, and scored a run in 12 games
•    Lively has scored at least one run in six of her last seven – five straight – tallying nine runs
•    Stagner extended her reached base safely streak to eight games, and 15 of her 18 this season

South Alabama 10, Nicholls State 5
After trailing by five, South Alabama (11-8) used a five-run third inning as part of a run of eight unanswered to pick up a 10-5 victory over Nicholls State (7-11). 

Lee and Megan Davidson each had three hits and scored a run, while the latter also walked and drove in four runs. Stagner was 2-for-3 with a triple and both her and Branstetter scored three times.

Tori Miller (4-1) tossed 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, scattering four hits and tying a career high with seven strikeouts.

How It Happened 
•    Stagner extended her hit streak to six games with a two-out single back up the middle in the bottom of the first. Branstetter followed with a single of her own, and Lee then bounced a single through the left side that allowed Stagner to score from second (USA 1-0). With runners at the corners, Megan Davidson plated Branstetter with a single of her own to extend South's lead to 2-0.
•    Reagan Heflin reached on a Jaguar error to begin the second, and Brynne Songy walked to start the frame. Two batters later, Carmella Muccilli put Nicholls on the board with a RBI single (USA, 2-1). The Colonels then loaded the bases on Riley Rutherford's bunt single, and one batter later they tied the game up (2-2) on a sacrifice fly by Laylin Sturm. Claire Sisco was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the second time in the inning, but Olivia Cato recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
•    Nichols took the lead its next time up as Muccilli drove in a pair when her liner to center was just out of reach of a diving effort from Lively for a two-out, two-run double, scoring Erin Krause and Songy (NICH, 4-2). The Colonels tacked on another run on Rutherford's RBI single (NICH, 5-2). After a pitching change, Sturm dropped in a single in shallow center, and Sisco singled to center to load the bases, but Tori Miller recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
•    Stagner recorded her second triple of the doubleheader with one out in the bottom of the third and then came in when Branstetter reached on an error (NICH, 5-3). Lee was hit by a pitch and Davidson drew a walk to load the bases. Ansleigh Smith was hit by a pitch to plate another run and trim the deficit to one (5-4). Pinch hitter Morgan Hall then tied the game back up (5-5) as she laced a ball to center, scoring pinch runner Gracie Jo Ward. Caitlyn Gavin then put South back out in front (6-5) with a bloop single to center and another run came home on White's sacrifice fly to center (USA, 7-5).
•    The Colonels placed two aboard with two outs in the top of the fourth. Heflin and Krause, who had both singled earlier in the frame moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, but Miller was able to get Muccilli swinging to end the inning.
•    South Alabama tacked on an insurance run with some two-out production in the bottom half of the inning. Lee drove the ball the opposite way for her sixth double of the season, and Davidson followed with a single back up the middle to score Lee (USA, 8-5).
•    With one out in the sixth, Stagner and Branstetter were both hit by a pitch, and Lee lined her third hit of the game – a single to left – to load the bases. Davidson then drove in her third and fourth RBI with her third hit – a career high – scoring Stagner and Branstetter (USA, 10-5). 

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 25th in the series between the two programs
•    The Jaguars improve to 19-6 in the series, and have won 17 of the last 18 series meetings, including six straight
•    Stagner has reached base in nine-straight and 16 of her 19 games, and had a hit in seven straight
•    The third-inning triple was Stagner (5) moving her into a tie for ninth with Julie Moss (2011-14), Ashley Elmore (2007-08), Jenny Stevens (2007-08, '11) and Haleigh Lowe (2015-18) in the career category
•    Branstetter has reached base in 15 of her last 19 games
•    Branstetter (12) moved into the Top 10 in career hit by pitches, tying her with Jenny Stevens (2007-08, 11), Stephanie Pilkington (2013-16) and Kristian Foster (2015-18)
•    With her first-inning, RBI single, Lee has had a hit in six of her last eight
•    Hall now has three pinch hits this season and has driven in five runs
•    Gavin has reached base in 14 of her 18 games this spring
•    Davidson has reached base safely in 10 of her last 11, and 15 of her 17 games this spring
•    The three hits tied a career high for Lee and set a new career best for Davidson

Up Next
•    South Alabama closes out play at the Ole Miss Classic with a single game on Sunday with first pitch set for 12:30 p.m.

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