MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama led early, but 12th-ranked Mississippi State homered three times to rally back and defeat the Jaguars, 4-2 Sunday on day three of the Jaguar Classic at Jaguar Field.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: "I thought we got off to a good start, but couldn't make it hold up. The long balls really hurt us, but we had opportunities to get back in it, and didn't take advantage of them. We still have things we can clean up that are fixable, and help us flip the momentum of the game."

Key Moments
•    After Mississippi State left a pair on in the top half of the inning, South Alabama struck first in the bottom of the frame on Virginia Mambelli's RBI-single to left, scoring Presley Lively (USA, 1-0)
•    The Jaguars added another run their next time up as Lillie Stagner dropped in a two-out, pinch-hit single to shallow center, scoring Edy Gavin from second, who led off the inning with a single and a stolen base (USA, 2-0)
•    The Bulldogs tied the game back up (2-2) in the third after back-to-back home runs by Nadia Barbary – her seventh of the season – and Kiara Sells – her ninth
•    Sells homered for the second time in the contest, this one a two-run shot over the wall in left center, in the top of the fifth to give MSU a 4-2 advantage
•    With runners at the corners, the Bulldogs tried to score on a wild pitch, but Jag catcher Ansleigh Smith recovered the ball quickly and tossed it to Tori Miller for the tag at home to end the inning and prevent any further damage 
•    South's best opportunity to rally came in its half of the sixth as Mambelli led off the inning with a single to center – her second hit of the game – and after Sydney Stewart was hit by a pitch with two outs, the Jags placed a pair on, but Alyssa Faircloth was able to get a fielder's choice to end the inning

Key Stats
•    Lively and E. Gavin were two of six Jags to record a hit and scored both runs for South Alabama in the loss
•    Mambelli was 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in a run, while Stagner singled and drove in a run
•    Ki. Sells was 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and three RBI for Mississippi State
•    Megan Bernardini also had two hits and walked for the Bulldogs
•    Peja Gould (10-1) struck out four, and Faircloth earned her third save of the season with two scoreless, one-hit innings of relief, striking out three

Postgame Notes
•    With her first-inning single, Lively has had a hit in 17 of her 26 games, and has scored a run in eight of her last 14 games
•    Mambelli has had a hit in 13 of her last 19, and driven in a run in 10 of her last 14, recording 13 RBI over that stretch
•    The multi-hit game was the fourth of the season for Mambelli
•    Franka extended her hit streak to four games 
•    With her pinch-hit single, Stagner has reached base safely in seven of her last 11 games
•    Sunday marked the third time this season that an opponent has hit three home runs in a game versus South Alabama
•    Sells is the third opposing player with multiple home runs in a game this spring against the Jags 

Up Next
•    South Alabama will head out on the road to take on 10th-ranked Florida State on Wednesday. First pitch versus the Seminoles is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Tallahassee, Fla. The game will be aired on the ACC Network.

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