MOBILE, Ala. | Olivia Branstetter and Ansleigh Smith each recorded a pair of hits, but South Alabama dropped a 5-2 midweek decision to McNeese State Wednesday night at Jaguar Field.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the team as of late: "This has been an interesting start. We were lights out in Clearwater and then have been in and out ever since. There are pockets of good and then other times when we just aren't executing. The effort is there, so we have to keep fighting through this right now until things click again."

Key Moments
•    With one out in the top of the second, Corine Poncho drove a 1-1 pitch off to straight-away center field off of Sydney Scapin (1-1) to break the scoreless tie (MCN, 1-0)
•    The Cowgirls threatened to do more damage in the inning as Malayna Daigle and Alexis Dibbley followed with back-to-back singles, but Scapin was helped out by her defense as center fielder Presley Lively made a highlight, diving catch in shallow left center and then the Jag righty induced a grounder to third for the final out to strand the pair
•    Branstetter led off the Jaguar second with an infield single and moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. Sydney Stewart then sacrificed Branstetter over to third, and Virginia Mambelli tied the game back up (1-1) with a pinch-hit single to right 
•    With runners at second and third after a single to right and an advance on the throw by Smith, South Alabama took its first lead of the game when Brooklynn Bockhaus scored on a passed ball (USA, 2-1)
•    McNeese loaded the bases after back-to-back singles and a walk to begin the third, and Jada Munoz drew a bases loaded walk to score Nyjah Fontenot (bunt single) and tie the game, and one batter later, the Cowgirls retook the lead when Rylee Cloud (single) scored on a double play (MCN, 3-2)
•    The Cowgirls added to their lead one inning later with a pair of runs
•    With the bases loaded after three-straight singles, Daigle came home on Fontenot's sacrifice fly to left (MCN, 4-2), and one batter later, Cloud bounced a ball back up the middle to plate Weeks (MCN, 5-2)
•     Lillie Stagner walked to begin the Jag sixth, Branstetter dropped
•    South Alabama loaded the bases in the bottom half of the sixth, but Cowgirl reliever Brooklyn Taylor was able to get a pop up on the infield and maintain the lead for McNeese

Key Stats
•    South Alabama left eight runners on base, including four in scoring position in the loss
•    The Jags were 3-for-20 with runners on base and 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position
•    Branstetter and Smith both had two hit nights to lead South Alabama
•    Branstetter also scored a run and reached base safely all three of her plate appearances with a walk
•    Cloud and Daigle also had two hits apiece for McNeese, while the run production came from the first five batters in the lineup
•    Seven different players for McNeese recorded at least one hit
•    Maddie Taylor (4-0) scattered six hits and allowed just one run in the circle for the Cowgirls
•    B. Taylor allowed just one hit in her 1.2 innings of relief

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 15th in the all-time series and the eighth in at Jaguar Field
•    The loss marks the first time this season that South Alabama has lost back-to-back games
•    With her first-inning double, Kara Wine has had a hit in eight of her 12 outings
•    Olivia Branstetter has had a hit in four of her last five
•    The multi-hit game was the fifth of Smith's Jaguar career
•    With her seventh-inning single, Lively has had a hit in 10 of her 12 games and reached base safely in all every game this spring
•    Gracie Dees had her nine-game hit streak come to an end

Up Next
•    South Alabama will host the South Alabama Invitational this weekend and open up play on Friday night against West Georgia. First pitch versus the Wolves is set for 5:30 p.m. at Jaguar Field.

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