MOBILE, Ala. | Gabby Stagner drove in three runs to tie Brittany Fowler's career RBI mark as South Alabama completed the Sun Belt Conference series sweep with a 4-3 victory over James Madison Sunday afternoon at Jaguar Field.

Stagner was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in the win for the Jags (14-15, 3-0 SBC) as she also stole a base. Presley Lively scored twice and Megan Davidson also registered a pair of hits. Brooklynn Bockhaus also laid down a pair of sacrifice bunts to give her a team-best six on the spring.

Ryley Harrison (6-3) recorded five innings and allowed just two runs on five hits, while Tori Miller picked up her first career save, closing tossing the final two innings. Neither pitcher issued a walk in the victory.

Cali Legzdin was 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored in the loss for James Madison (11-13, 0-3 SBC). 

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the offense coming through during the big third inning: "I'm really proud of our players. We've been scuffling lately, but for them to turn it around and get it going was great to see. All weekend we played team-softball, but today was a great example of that. Meg (Davidson) started off the big inning with a hit to left field after she'd been scuffling at the plate. BB (Brooklynn Bockhaus) gets the bunt down and Peanut (Presley Lively) strikes out, but instead of pouting about it, she takes off for first base and gets to second when Gracie (Ward) moves to third on the dirt-ball read. Instead of JMU having an out after a strikeout and runner a second, we were able to have runners at second and third with one out. That's just heads up and competing.

"(Olivia) Branstetter then drew the walk after a tough at-bat. Their pitcher threw her some really tough pitches and she was able to stay off of them. With the bases loaded, instead of getting greedy and trying to overpower it, Gabby (Stagner) took it the other way and got it going for us. Sid (Lee) loops something in, and Steph (Gonzalez) was able to draw the walk to bring in another run. That's unselfish softball and good team softball. That's us working together and coming together and competing together. That's the thing I'm most proud of out of the weekend.

"James Madison's a really good team who has played a tough schedule, so this wasn't an easy series sweep. We had to earn everything that we got from them, and so I was proud of us for continuing to have the compete type of mentality."

- On the pitching staff limiting the walks today and in the series: "Ryley (Harrison) and Tori (Miller) combined to get the job done on the mound, and didn't issue any walks. They pounded the strike zone, and made (James Madison) earn it. Our pitchers have worked really hard in the bullpen to try to get it turned around. We just want them to compete and go out there and give the team a chance. This weekend was South Alabama softball. We worked together, we competed, there was grit in there and there was some toughness in there. We didn't give in. I'm just glad we got back to playing softball the way it's meant to be played."

Senior infielder Gabby Stagner
- On what getting the series sweep means: "It's good encouragement for us. Beginning Sun Belt play with a home-conference series sweep is always huge. It gives us some momentum heading into the rest of the conference schedule.

- On her play at the plate: "I was just seeing the ball really well today. I felt I was more aggressive at the plate and just looked for a pitch to hit that I could drive."

How It Happened 
•    Legzdin led the game off for the Dukes with a single through the left side of the infield and then moved into scoring position with her ninth stolen base of the season. She then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and came into score on a Jaguar error (JMU, 1-0). 
•    Lively drew a lead off walk to start the bottom of the first for the Jaguars and the freshman then stole second – her 14th stolen base of the spring. Two batters later, Stagner tied the game back up (1-1) with a RBI single to center.
•    With one out in the top of the second, the Dukes had a pair reach – Jasmine Hall (single) and Lily Romero (HBP), but Harrison was able to get out of the inning with a fly out and then an out at third on the play after video review showed Hall was tagged on the play after initially being called safe.
•    South Alabama reclaimed the lead in the Jaguar third. Davidson lined a single to left to start the frame, and the sophomore catcher was moved into scoring position on Bockhaus' sacrifice bunt. Lively then reached on a wild pitch on a third strike and advanced to second on the play when James Madison tried to get pinch runner Gracie Jo Ward out at third. After a walk to Branstetter loaded the bases, Stagner lined a single to right to drive in two and give South the 3-1 lead. Sidney Lee followed with a single of her own to reload the bases and Stephanie Gonzalez drew a walk to bring in another run (USA, 4-1).
•    The Dukes got a run back the next half inning as Legzdin lined a 1-0 pitch to dead center for her fourth home run of the season (USA, 4-2).
•    Jasmine Hall cut the Jaguar lead to 4-3 with a one-out solo shot to left in the top of the seventh

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the sixth in the all-time series between the two programs, but just the third as conference foes, as South Alabama now holds a 4-2 series lead
•    With the series sweep, South now holds seven home series sweeps to begin league play
•    Lee, one of four seniors on the Jaguar roster, was recognized prior to Sunday's game
•    Lively has had a hit or a walk in 14 of her last 17 outings, and reached base safely in 23 of her 29 games this spring
•    With the lead-off walk to start the bottom of the first, Lively has now reached base in her first plate appearance in 13 times this spring
•    Lively has also scored a run in 19 games and in 12 of her last 18
•    Davidson has had a hit in five of her last nine, and reached base safely in 11 of her last 16
•    The two-hit game marked the first multi-hit game for Davidson since recording three hits versus Nicholls State (3/1/25)
•    With her two-run single in the third inning, Stagner (136) tied Brittany Fowler's (2010-13) program mark for career RBI
•    Stagner has had a hit in six of her last seven and 14 of her last 16, and reached base in 18 of her last 19 and 26 of her 29 games 
•    Stagner has driven in multiple runs a team-best nine times this spring
•    The three-hit performance marked the 35th multi-hit game of Stagner's career, tying her with Christin Crocker (2009-12) for 13th on the list
•    Branstetter extended her career-best reached base safely streak to 16 games with her third-inning walk, as she has now also reached in 19 of her last 21 games
•    Of the 13 runs scored this season by Ward, 10 have come as a pinch runner

Up Next
•    South Alabama will head back out on the road for a midweek contest at Auburn before heading to Georgia State for a three-game SBC series. First pitch versus the Tigers is set for 6 p.m. at Jane B. Moore Field.

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