(Photo Courtesy of South Alabama Athletics)
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 18/19 University of South Alabama softball recovered from a 2-1 loss to Northwestern by defeating No. 21 LSU by the same scoreline in an evening showdown to split a two-game set at the 2014 Tiger Invitational in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday.
USA (6-1) rerouted from the 2014 Georgia Softball Classic in Athens, Ga., where it was scheduled to face Ohio, Mercer, Furman and the host-Bulldogs (twice), but wintry weather forced the tournament’s cancellation. USA was added to the Tiger Invitational slate Thursday afternoon.
The Jaguars travel to UAB for a midweek contest on Wednesday, Feb. 19, before traveling to Orlando, Fla., for the Diamond 9 Classic, where they will face Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne, East Carolina, Lehigh, Mercer and Georgia.
“I thought we showed a lot of guts to come back and win in the second game today,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “We didn’t play well in the first game and didn’t deserve to win it. We weren’t ready to play, and that can’t happen. I was proud of the way they competed in the second game, though. They went after LSU.”
USA junior Farish Beard took her first loss since April 18, 2012 on Saturday, giving up both runs (unearned) to the Wildcats in the first inning, after hitting leadoff batter Emily Allard, who eventually scored on a Jaguar error. Mari Majam, who reached on the aforementioned error, scored Northwestern’s second two batters later.
South Alabama second baseman Julie Moss delivered a sacrifice fly that scored Amanda Minahan to halve the deficit, but USA could do no further damage, taking its first loss of the season after recording a program-best 5-0 start last weekend at its own Mardi Gras Invitational.
Minahan, Chloe Rathburn and Alex Breeden each went 1-for-3 as USA’s only offensive production. Beard struck out seven in five innings of work, issuing only one walk.
Determined not to lose back-to-back games for the first time since March 9-10, 2013, at the Long Beach State (Ca.) Invitational, USA wasted no time offensively in the second leg of Saturday’s competition, loading the bases in the top of the first inning.
Stephanie Pilkington drew a leadoff walk from LSU starter Baylee Corbello, Blair Johnson reached on a fielding error by LSU shortstop Bianka Bell and USA shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith singled to right center, placing three on for Rathburn, who hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Pilkington to score from third and give USA an early 1-0 lead.
The 2013 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional hosts responded by leveling the score a half-inning later when Sandra Simmons delivered an RBI double to left center that scored Jaycee Blades, who reached on an infield single that USA’s Blair Johnson, making her first start at third base since the second game of the 2013 season, couldn’t corral.
Neither team threatened again until the bottom of the fourth when LSU placed two runners on with only one out, but Johnson executed a double play to rescue USA starter Hannah Campbell from a self-induced jam, after the senior hit Bell and allowed a Kellsi Kloss single up the middle.
The Jaguars capitalized on that momentum by going ahead, 2-1, in the top of the fifth. Pilkington, the club’s leader in RBI, supplied her eighth of the young year when she drove in Emily Messer, who pinch ran for Taylor Rodgers, who walked.
LSU leadoff A.J. Andrew and Blades each singled and stole in the bottom of the fifth to place two Tiger runners on with two outs, but Moss snagged a grounder hit hard at her for a throw out at first to nullify the LSU progress.
The hosts placed runners on second and third again in the bottom of the sixth, but, this time, it was Griffith who boasted the glove work, snagging an Allison Falcon pop up to shallow left field before throwing out Corbello at first to end the inning.
USA failed to add to its lead in the top of the seventh, leaving two runners stranded, but the Jaguars would need no further insurance after Campbell struck out her 10th of the day to lead off the bottom half of the final frame and forced two more infield outs to end the contest.
With the win, USA is now 15-1 in its last 16 road games, dating back to the 2013 season.
“LSU has a lot of speed,” said Clark. “We knew they would put pressure on us, but we stayed in there, and made great pitches and great defensive plays. They play that Griff made in the five-six hole; I thought that was the ball game. It’s all because we competed and we wanted the ball.”
“When you’re facing a team like LSU, you can’t let your pitcher do all the work,” Griffith said of USA’s defense against LSU. “You have to be on your toes the whole time, and I think we did that tonight. For me, I’m comfortable because I have faith in the players around me. We push to back our pitchers up, no matter what kind of day they’re having, but Hannah did a great job tonight.”
Campbell moved to 2-0 on the year, now with 26 strikeouts and only two runs (earned) allowed for a 0.79 ERA. Beard is now 3-1 with Saturday’s loss, but the junior has yet to give up an earned run all year.
Rathburn was the only Jaguar to record multiple hits on Saturday, going 2-for-7 (.286).
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