SAN MARCOS, Texas — South Alabama scored twice in the top of the seventh inning and freshman Devin Brown threw seven scoreless innings of relief as the Jaguars beat 10th-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette 2-0 to win the 2015 Sun Belt Conference softball tournament championship.
The Jaguars needed an extra game to claim the title, rebounding from a loss to the Ragin’ Cajuns earlier in the weekend.
Play-In Loss to Louisiana-Lafayette
South Alabama met Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday in the championship play-in game. The Jaguars scored two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Ragin’ Cajuns answered with six unanswered runs, powered by five home runs, and won 6-3. The five homers were the most allowed by South Alabama since March 24, 2007.
Beard Shuts Down Georgia State
The loss sent South Alabama into an elimination game against Georgia State, with the winner earning a rematch with Louisiana-Lafayette in the winner-take-all championship game.
Emily Messer led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on Chloe Rathburn’s single to left for a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth, sophomore center fielder Amanda Minahan led off with a bunt single and scored on Messer’s triple to center. Stephanie Pilkington later singled to center with one out and scored on Kaitlyn Griffith’s double to make it 3-0.
Georgia State loaded the bases in the sixth on a hit batter, a South Alabama fielding error and a single to shallow right field, the Panthers’ only hit of the game. Farish Beard struck out the next batter looking, and Lauren Coleman followed with a sacrifice fly to right for Georgia State’s only run.
Beard retired the side in order in the seventh to finish a complete game. She struck out four, walked four and allowed one unearned run on one hit, improving to 11-4 on the season.
Seventh-Inning Rally Wins Title
Beard started the championship game but was relieved before recording an out after a series of illegal pitch calls. Brown took over and held Louisiana-Lafayette to five hits over seven innings, striking out two.
The game was scoreless through six innings. In the top of the seventh, Minahan drew a two-out walk. Blair Johnson followed with a hit, the 200th of her career, and senior first baseman Amanda Herron walked to load the bases.
Freshman pinch hitter Haleigh Lowe reached on a Louisiana-Lafayette fielding error that scored Minahan for a 1-0 lead. Messer then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Johnson and make it 2-0.
Brown walked three batters to load the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but Samantha Walsh grounded back to the circle, and Brown threw to first for the final out.
In the title game, Pilkington went 1-for-3, while Minahan and Johnson each went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Messer was 0-for-2 with an RBI on her bases-loaded walk.
Griffith Named Most Outstanding Player
Griffith was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Beard, Brown and Messer were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
2015 Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team
- Ivie Drake, Georgia State
- Katie Worley, Georgia State
- Lexie Elkins, Louisiana-Lafayette
- DJ Sanders, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Jordan Wallace, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Melanie Coyne, Louisiana-Monroe
- Farish Beard, South Alabama
- Devin Brown, South Alabama
- Emily Messer, South Alabama
Most Outstanding Player: Kaitlyn Griffith, South Alabama
