CLEARWATER, Fla. | Oliva Cato tossed a complete game shutout in game one of the day, and Lillie Stagner walked off Missouri in 11 innings in the second contest, as South Alabama defeated North Carolina Central, 5-0 and Missouri, 5-4 Sunday afternoon on day three of the 23rd Annual NFCA Leadoff Classic held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

For her play, Ryley Harrison was named to the all-tournament team after recording a 2-0 record, and recording 1.19 earned run average in her 17.2 innings of work, striking out 14 and holding opponents to a .191 batting average.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the two wins: "I'm incredibly proud of our effort and toughness today. We stepped up in all areas and took a major step forward as a team. Our pitchers competed today and set the tone. (Olivia) Cato pounded the zone in game one and (Ryley) Harrison and (Tori) Miller were lights out in game two. Offensively, we never gave in. I feel like our offense is starting to show what it is capable of and will continue to get better as we go. Overall, these were two great team wins and the perfect way to end the tournament."

GAME ONE – SOUTH ALABAMA 5, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 0
Key Moments
• Brooklynn Bockhaus led off the bottom of the third with a walk to flip over the Jaguar lineup, and two batters later, Gracie Dees doubled off the wall in center – second hit of the game – to score Bockhaus from first (USA, 1-0)
• NCCU loaded the bases with one out the next half inning, but Cato (1-0) battled back and struck out her seventh and eighth batters of the game to work out of the jam and maintain the lead
• Kayden Dunn reached on one-out walk in the bottom of the fourth, and Sydney Stewart lined a two-run homer to left center after working the count full (USA, 3-0)
• The Eagles loaded the bases for the second-straight inning with two outs after a pinch hit single, but Cato was again able to strand the runners with a strikeout looking
• Stagner extended the Jaguar lead the next half inning as she unloaded on a 1-0 offering, driving over the wall in left center (USA, 4-0)
• South Alabama added another run in the sixth as Presley Lively lined a two-out triple to right, plating Stewart, who had singled, to make it 5-0

Key Stats
• Cato struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed just seven base runners – three hits, three walks and a hit batter – in her seven innings of work
• Dees was 2-for-3 on the afternoon with a pair of doubles
• Stewart also had two hits, while scoring two runs and driving in two
• Stagner recorded her second home run of the weekend
• Bockhaus reached in both her plate appearances walking twice, and recording her 13-career sacrifice hit
• Six of South Alabama's seven hits went for extra bases – three doubles, a triple and two home runs

Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the second in the all-time series, as both have come in Clearwater
• The 11 strikeouts by Cato marked the first double-digit tally by a Jag pitcher since Ryley Harrison (10 – at Georgia State (3/21/25))
• Cato struck out six batters – one shy of matching her career high – and didn't allow a hit the first time through the Eagle lineup
• Cato ended each of the first six innings with strikeouts and worked four 1-2-3 innings
• The game marked the second time this weekend that South Alabama has had two players homer in a game (Eastern Kentucky, 2/6)
• Lively extends reached base safely streak to four games with her fourth inning walk
• Lively is now tied with former Jags Evelyne Pare (2007-08), Kaleigh Todd (2015-18), and Gabby Stagner (2022-25) for seventh all-time at South in career triples as she has six
• Olivia Branstetter saw her 17-game reached base safely streak come to an end in the game
• The complete-game was the eighth of Cato's collegiate career and the seventh shut out

GAME TWO – SOUTH ALABAMA 5, MISSOURI 4 (11 INN.)
Key Moments
• Abby Carr put Missouri (2-3) on the board first when she drove a 0-2 pitch over the wall in left center (MIZZ, 1-0)
• South Alabama (4-1) had a scoring opportunity the next half inning, placing runners at the corners with two outs, but Missouri's Courtney Donahue got out of the jam with a fly out to left center
• The Tigers threatened again in the top of the third with a pair on, but Ryley Harrison was able to snag a liner back up the middle to get out of the inning
• South Alabama took its first lead of the contest in the bottom half of the third with back-to-back RBI singles by Dees and Branstetter (USA, 2-1)
• Lively singled through the right side of the infield with one away in the Jaguar third, and then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before coming in on Dee's single to center
• Branstetter then lined a single back up the middle to score pinch runner Gracie McDonald for the second run of the inning
• Missouri tied the game up at 2-2 with an unearned run in the top of the sixth as Haidyn Sokoloski scored on Madison Uptegrove RBI single to center
• In extra innings with a runner starting on second, Sokoloski reached on an error to put runners at the corners, and Abby Hay then lined a single to center to give Missouri a 3-2 advantage
• With pinch runner Caitlyn Gavin starting out at second, Stagner lined a one-out single to center to tie the game back up at 3-3 in the eighth
• Missouri had a scoring opportunity in the ninth as it loaded the bases with no outs, but the Jaguar defense was able to turn a double play as Stewart came home for the first out and Wine then threw onto first for the second, before a ground out ended the frame
• South Alabama also had a scoring chance of its own in the bottom half of the inning with Dunn at third, but the Tigers came home on a grounder for the out to keep the game tied
• In the 10th, the Tigers moved the runner to third with a sacrifice and Hay then lined a single to right to plate the run (MIZZ, 4-3)
• Lively moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Dees in the bottom half of the inning and Branstetter pushed the ball to the right side of the infield to bring home the Jaguar center fielder to tie the game at 4-4
• Uptegrove was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt to start the 11th, but Tori Miller (1-0) was able to retire the next two Tiger batters and maintain the tie
• South Alabama took advantage of the missed opportunity by Missouri and Stagner drove in her second run of the game as she delivered her third hit with a RBI single to left, scoring Wine from second (USA, 5-4)

Key Stats
• Stagner was 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs driven in
• Branstetter also plated a pair for the Jags, Lively scored twice and Dees had a hit and a walk, while driving in a run
• Dunn also reached base three times for South Alabama with two walks and a single, while recording 10 putouts at first
• Harrison tossed eight innings, allowing just one earned run, three hits, and six strikeouts
• Miller allowed just a hit and a walk in her three innings of relief to pick up the win
• Hay was 2-for-5 with two RBI to lead Missouri offensively

Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the fifth in the all-time series
• The game also marked the first time South Alabama has played a game on the MLB Network
• Lively extended her reached base safely streak to five with her third-inning single, as she has now had a hit in four of South's first five games
• Dees has had a hit in each of her last three games
• Stagner was a combined 4-for-7 with three RBI in Sunday's two games
• The extra-inning win also marked the first by the program against and SEC opponent since April 14, 2009 when the Jags defeated Auburn 4-1 in 10 innings in Auburn

Up Next
• South Alabama will return home to host the Mardi Gras Classic presented by Marriott Mobile, Feb. 13-15. The Jags will open up tournament play on Friday with a pair of games, taking on UAB at 3 p.m. and Western Michigan at 5:30 p.m.

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