TROY, Ala. — Farish Beard pitched a two-hit complete-game shutout and struck out 10 as second-seeded South Alabama defeated fourth-seeded North Texas 5-0 on Friday to advance to Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game.
Beard improved to 21-0 on the season. The win extended South Alabama’s winning streak to 15 games, and Beard extended her own run to 18 consecutive innings without allowing a run.
Four-Run Fourth Inning
South Alabama did not record its first hit until the fourth inning, when Blair Johnson led off with a single to center field. With two outs, Kaitlyn Griffith and Meghan Collins each drew walks to load the bases, and Johnson scored on a fielding error for the game’s first run.
With the bases still loaded, a passed ball allowed Griffith and Collins to score. Emily Messer then walked, and Britany Campbell singled to right field to make it 4-0.
The Jaguars added a run in the fifth inning when Haley Fagan, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, hit a two-out RBI double to left field that scored Johnson from first base.
Beard Escapes Lone Threat
North Texas managed its only two hits in the third inning, a single up the middle and a single to right field that put runners on first and second with two outs. Beard ended the threat by getting a foul out to the catcher.
Championship Saturday
South Alabama, unbeaten in the tournament, will face the winner of Saturday morning’s 9 a.m. game between top-seeded Western Kentucky and third-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette.
The championship game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday in Troy and will be shown online on ESPN3.com and on CSS/CST on local cable systems.
