MOBILE, Ala. | No. 22 Alabama recorded three home runs and scored seven runs in the top of the fourth to break open the game en route to a 15-3 win over South Alabama Wednesday night at Jaguar Field.

South Alabama fell to 11-15 on the season and suffered its seventh-straight loss. The Jags were led at the plate by Sidney Lee who was 2-for-3 in the loss with a pair of RBI for her fifth multi-hit game of the season and her third multi-RBI game. Presley Lively also had a pair of hits – tying her for the team lead in multi-hit games with six – and scored a run. Gabby Stagner tripled and scored a run as well, while Olivia Branstetter had a RBI single.

Alabama (20-7) had four players score two runs in the contest and were led at the plate by Alexis Pupillo, who reached all three of her plate appearances with two hits, a walk, a home run and four RBI. Brooke Ellestad was 2-for-3 with a home run and a pair of RBI, while Kali Heivlin recorded her 10th home run of the season and drove in three.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: "I thought it was a great atmosphere tonight and I thought it was a great night for softball. I wish we had played better because I think we missed out on an opportunity. We've got to play better, we've got to pitch it better, we've got to hit it better."

- On opening conference play this weekend: "This weekend we start conference play, so your season kind of starts over and we've got to figure out a way to close the book on this and get ready for this next weekend. We haven't played well for the past two weeks. We were in a pretty good space and then we got out of it and we've been scrambling ever since. We've had some injuries that we've had to work through, so that's been part of it, but that's not an excuse for us to do what we're doing right now. We're better than what we've been doing, so we got to get that figured out. That's what we get paid to do is figure that part out. So, we'll get in there and keep pushing buttons, and then get ready to go this weekend against James Madison on our home field."

How It Happened 
•    Alabama jumped out to the early lead with three runs in the top of the first without the benefit of a hit. Audrey Vandagriff worked the count full before drawing a leadoff walk to begin the game for the Crimson Tide. Vandagriff then stole second – her 32nd of the season – and Larissa Preuitt walked to place two aboard for the visitors. Alabama loaded the bases one batter later as Abby Duchsherer was hit by a pitch. Pupillo and Catelyn Riley then drew-back-to-back bases-loaded walks to put UA on top, 2-0. The Crimson Tide added another run one batter later on a sacrifice fly to center (UA, 3-0).
•    Stagner lined a one-out triple down the first-base line, and two batters later, Lee cut into the deficit as she lined a shot to right to score the Jag first baseman (UA, 3-1).
•    Alabama loaded the bases again with one away in the top of the third after a ground-rule double by Duchsherer and a pair of walks, and Ellestad dropped in a single in center to extend Alabama's lead to 4-1.
•    The Crimson Tide broke the game open in the top of the fourth, erupting for seven runs on five hits, including three home runs, which extended the visitor's lead to 11-1. The big blows of the inning came on a three-run home run by Pupillo, a two-run home run by Heivilin and a solo shot by Elestad. 
•    Lee led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run down the left field line that banged off the foul pole (UA, 11-2).
•    Bama answered the Jaguar run with four more in its half of the fifth. 
•    Lively led the bottom half of the fifth off with a single back up the middle, and the freshman outfielder advanced all the way to third on a ground out one batter later. Branstetter lined a RBI single to the gap in right center to score Lively (UA, 15-3).

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 18th in the all-time series and the fourth in Mobile
•    With her first-inning triple, Stagner (6) moved into a tie for seventh in the career category with Evelyne Pare (6, 2007-08) and Kaleigh Todd (6, 2015-18)
•    The extra-base hit was the 75th of Stagner's career
•    The triple also Stagner has now had a hit in four straight and 12 of her last 13, and extended her reached base safely streak to 16 straight 
•    She has reached safely in 23 of her 26 games this season 
•    Lively has had a hit or a walk in 12 of her last 15 outings, and reached base safely in 20 of her 26 games this spring
•    Lively has also scored a run in 17 games, including eight multiple-run games, and in 10 of her last 15
•    Branstetter has had a hit in nine of her last 12, and reached base in in 13-straight games – a career best – and 16 of her last 18 games
•    The 15 runs scored by Alabama are the most in the series, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 scored in a meeting during the 2012 season

Up Next
•    South Alabama will continue its homestand and open up Sun Belt Conference play with a three-game series versus James Madison. First pitch of the series opener is set for Friday at 6 p.m.

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama Softball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaSB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaSB (Facebook), @SouthAlabamaSB (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.