HUNTINGTON, W.Va. | Kara Wine recorded a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the seventh and South Alabama brought the tying run to the plate, but Marshall was able to hold on for the 4-2 win Saturday afternoon to clinch the Sun Belt Conference series at Dot Hicks Field.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On what the team needs to do going forward: "We are beating ourselves right now. The fix is to get back to fundamental softball and have an overall better mental approach. We have a definite step forward that we need to take tomorrow and the fix starts with me."

Key Moments
•    Marshall (34-11, 15-2 SBC) struck first in the bottom half of the opening frame as Diamond Leslie singled back up the middle with two outs to drive in Sydni Burko from second, who had singled earlier in the frame (MARSH, 1-0)
•    One inning later, Haleigh Adkins extended the Thundering Herd's lead with a one-out, solo shot to right field off (MARSH, 2-0), her fifth of the season 
•    For the third-straight inning, Marshall had a run cross the plate, this time an unearned as Ava Blake, who had reached on a one-out fielding error by the Jags, came home on Paige Simpson's two-out, RBI-single to left (MARSH, 3-0)
•    Following a pitching change, Bella Gerlach walked to load the bases, but one batter later, Olivia Cato was able to get a fly out to left to prevent any further damage and strand the three Marshall runners
•    After not recording a hit the first time through the lineup, Presley Lively lined a double to the gap in left center to begin the bottom of the fourth and Olivia Branstetter walked to give South Alabama (26-21, 10-7 SBC) its first base runners of the game, but Maddie Veal (10-2) retired the next three batters, striking out the final two to end the threat
•    South had another scoring opportunity in its half of the fifth as Kara Wine drew a one-out, pinch-hit, walk and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, but Veal again retired the next two batters with a pop up on the infield and a fly out to left
•    The Thundering Herd threatened to extend their lead in the bottom half of the inning with one out and runners at second and third, but on a squeeze play at the plate, Olivia Cato's toss home was in time as Wine applied the tag and Cato got a ground out to third to end the inning
•    The Jaguars had another scoring opportunity when Lively singled to lead off the sixth and moved into scoring position on wild pitch, but Veal recorded a strikeout swinging and then a double play on a fly out to left
•    Marshall added an unearned insurance run as it took advantage of a pair of Jaguar errors in the bottom of the sixth
•    Haleigh Adkins reached on a catcher's interference to begin frame and moved to third on a two-base error after a strikeout, before coming home later in the frame on a wild pitch (MARSH, 4-0)
•    In the top of the seventh, the Jags tried to mount a two-out rally as Sydney Stewart tripled to right center and then came home on Wine's two-run home run to left (MARSH, 4-2)
•    Caitlyn Gavin lined a double to left to bring the potential tying run to the plate, but Veal sealed the win with her seventh strikeout of the afternoon

Key Stats
•    Lively was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double for the Jaguars in the loss
•    Wine reached base both of her plate appearances with a walk and the two-run home run, her fourth of the spring
•    Cato tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief allowing just one base runner (walk) and striking out one
•    Adkins was one of six players for Marshall to record a hit, while she also scored twice and drove in a run

Postgame Notes
•    Adkins' second-inning home run was the 79th of the season, tying Marshall's single-season mark
•    With her double, Lively has now had a hit in 14 of her last 18 games and reached base safely in 17 of her last 19 
•    The multi-hit game was the 11th of the season – one shy of moving into the Top 25 at South in the category – and 22nd of her career for Lively
•    Wine has been productive in all four of her pinch-hit appearances this spring as she has drawn two walks, recorded a hit and driven in a run on a sacrifice fly
•    Wine has reached base safely in 14 of her last 16, and has had either a hit, a walk or driven in a run in 24 of her last 30 games
•    Wine has had a hit in six of her last nine and driven in a run in five of her last nine starts
•    The multi-RBI game was the seventh of the spring for Wine
•    Stewart's triple was the 13th of the season for South Alabama, extending the program's single-season mark
•    Virginia Mambelli saw her 15-game reached-base-safely streak come to an end

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out the series with the Thundering Herd on Sunday with first pitch set for 11 a.m. (CT).

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