Hannah Campbell pitched a complete-game shutout Saturday as 18th-ranked South Alabama softball defeated Western Kentucky 2-0 in the championship game to win its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament title.
Campbell was named Player of the Game and, for the second straight year, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. She struck out three and did not issue a walk.
Breeden Drives In Insurance
Alex Breeden supplied the Jaguars’ second run in the top of the fifth inning, her first RBI in five games. Breeden singled to left field to score Stephanie Pilkington, who was pinch running for Haley Fagan, and put South Alabama ahead 2-0.
On the pitch before her hit, Breeden had made contact hard enough to break her bat, sending a piece toward the pitcher’s circle.
Brittany Fowler reached base in all four of her plate appearances. She went 2-for-2 with a single and a double, drew two walks and drove in a run.
Western Kentucky’s Path
Western Kentucky reached the championship game for the first time since 2005 after ace Emily Rousseau, the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, threw all 10 innings of a 7-4 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. With Rousseau having carried that load, the Hilltoppers started senior Mallorie Sulaski, their No. 2 starter, in the title game.
Sulaski held South Alabama to two hits through four innings and worked out of three separate jams with Jaguars in scoring position.
Campbell Closes It Out
Campbell retired the final four Western Kentucky batters to secure the title and extend South Alabama’s winning streak to 16 games. She improved to 21-7 on the season and lowered her NCAA-leading earned run average to 0.86.
Campbell has not allowed a run in her last 18 1/3 innings. Campbell, Farish Beard and the rest of the South Alabama pitching staff have combined to hold opponents scoreless over the last 15 1/3 innings.
South Alabama batted .216 in the tournament and held its opponents to a .135 average.
All-Tournament Honors
In addition to Campbell’s Most Outstanding Player award, Brittany Campbell, Brittany Fowler and Kaitlyn Griffith were named to the 2013 Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team.
Selection Show Watch Party
The NCAA softball tournament selection show airs Sunday at 9 p.m. Central on ESPNU. South Alabama will host a viewing party at Heroes Sports Grill on Hillcrest Road near Old Shell Road from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Family, friends and fans are invited to join the team as it learns its NCAA destination and whether it will be chosen to host a regional.
