CLEARWATER, Fla. | Olivia Branstetter recorded three hits, including a three-run home run, but Rutgers took advantage of some South Alabama miscues as the Jaguars fell Saturday to the Scarlet Knights, 11-3 in six innings on day two of the 23rd Annual NFCA Leadoff Classic held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

Rutgers (2-1) scored seven runs over the first two innings and then added another four-run frame in the bottom of the sixth to pull away. 

With the loss, South Alabama falls to 2-1 on the season and will return to action on Sunday with a pair of games to close out tournament action.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the loss: "We dug ourselves a hole early; I didn't think it was something that we couldn't overcome. Olivia Branstetter's home run got us back within four, which put us just one swing away from tying the game back up. We just got sloppy after that. We had some defensive mistakes and some bobbles, which led to some other runs. We didn't manage the strike zone on the mound in a lot of places. We have the offense to be able to come back from a four-run deficit. We just needed to hold Rutgers there and we couldn't do that.

"Offensively, I thought we had some places in the game where we had runners in scoring position, but didn't have the at-bats we needed to have. Credit (Rutgers), they made some great defensive plays on some balls that we put in play hard. 

"It was a tough day for us and we have to learn from it. We are a better team that what we showed out on the field today. I don't like seeing us go from such a high yesterday to a low today; we have to even that out. All the mistakes we made today are fixable. We just need to learn from this and take care of business on Sunday."

RUTGERS 11, SOUTH ALABAMA 3 (6 INN.)
Key Moments
•    Rutgers loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit (two walks and a hit by pitch) to start the bottom of the first, and Kelsey Hoekstra and Addison Osborne then registered back-to-back, two-run doubles to give the Scarlet Knights a 4-0 advantage
•    With one away and two on in the bottom of the second, Baileigh Burtis extended Rutgers lead (RU, 5-0) as she lined a single to right
•    RU later loaded the bases in the inning, and with two outs, plated two more runs on an infield single by M. Mitchell to score Burtis and R. Hwang then came in on the play when the ball wasn't fielded cleanly (RU, 7-0)
•    South Alabama was able to cut the deficit to four (RU, 7-3) with three runs in its half of the fifth as Branstetter recorded her third hit of the day with a three-run home run to left, scoring Presley Lively (walk) and pinch runner Gracie McDonald, running for Kara Wine who had singled one batter earlier
•    The Scarlet Knights answered back with their second four-run inning of the game in the bottom of the sixth
•    With runners at the corners, Etta Garafalo singled down the right field line, scoring the first run and then a second run came home on the play after a Jaguar error (RU, 9-3)
•    After loading the bases later in the inning, Sierra Hoekstra lined a two-run single to center, plating two more runs for the walk-off, run-rule win for Rutgers (RU, 11-3)

Key Stats
•    South had a base runner on each of the first five innings, including scoring opportunities each of the first three, leaving five runners on base for the game 
•    Wine recorded a pair of hits, her first two as a Jag as she was 2-for-3 at the plate
•    Branstetter was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI
•    Jaguar pitching issued five walks and hit three Rutgers batters, in addition to allowing 11 hits
•    The Scarlett Knights were led offensively by Burtis, who was 3-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored
•    K. Hoekstra (2-0) picked up the win and was also 2-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, two runs scored and a pair of RBI, while her sister S. Hoekstra also had two hits and drove in two runs for RU    

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the third in the all-time series between the two clubs
•    The 3-for-3 performance by Branstetter marked the seventh three-hit game of the junior's career, matching a career high in hits
•    It was the first three-hit game by a Jag since Gabby Stagner had three hits at Troy last season (5/1/25)
•    Dating back to the end of the 2025 season, Branstetter has reached base safely in 17 straight games after recording a double in her first plate appearance
•    Lively has reached base safely in all three games this spring for South Alabama and has recorded hits in two of those contests
•    With a pair of doubles and a home run in the loss, South Alabama has now recorded 10 extra-base hits this spring

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out play at the 23rd Annual NFCA Leadoff Classic on Sunday with a pair of games. The Jags will take on North Carolina Central in the opener with first pitch set for 9 a.m. (CT), and the face Missouri at 12 p.m. (CT), which will be aired on the MLB Network.

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