South Alabama softball swept a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Texas-Arlington over the weekend, while the Jaguars baseball team won two of three games against Arkansas State.
The No. 22 softball team completed its third consecutive conference series sweep and improved to 27-7. The baseball team won its third straight Sun Belt series and moved to 22-11 overall and 9-6 in league play.
Softball Game 1: South Alabama 6, Texas-Arlington 3
Farish Beard pitched a complete game in Friday’s opener, striking out 12 to tie her season high. She allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits.
Texas-Arlington led 2-0 after the first inning. After a throwing error and a walk put two runners on base, the Mavericks scored both on a two-out double to right field.
South Alabama answered with six runs over the fourth and fifth innings. Kaitlyn Griffith led off the fourth with a solo home run to left field. Blair Johnson then scored the tying run on a single by freshman Haleigh Lowe, and Amanda Herron homered to center field for a 4-2 lead.
In the fifth, Griffith and Johnson hit back-to-back solo home runs to make it 6-2.
UTA catcher Kacey Everett led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer to right field, but Beard retired the next three batters in order to finish the game.
- Griffith: 2-for-4, two home runs, two RBIs, two runs
- Johnson: 2-for-4, home run, RBI, two runs
- Lowe: 3-for-4, RBI, run
- Amanda Minahan: 2-for-4
Softball Game 2: South Alabama 8, Texas-Arlington 4
The Jaguars scored three times in the top of the first inning of the second game Friday. Chloe Rathburn hit a two-run single, and Johnson added a two-out RBI single.
Texas-Arlington took a 4-3 lead with four runs in the bottom of the second. Freshman starter Devin Brown was relieved by Kalen McGill in that inning after allowing four unearned runs on one hit, with four walks and two strikeouts.
South Alabama scored the game’s final five runs. In the third, Stephanie Pilkington reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second, then scored on Rathburn’s two-out single through the left side to tie the game 4-4.
Griffith drew a leadoff walk in the fifth and Johnson followed with a hit. Herron’s two-run single put the Jaguars ahead 6-4.
Herron led off the seventh with a solo home run to right field. Kristian Foster doubled, and pinch-runner Kaleigh Todd scored on an RBI double by Pilkington.
Softball Game 3: South Alabama 9, Texas-Arlington 1
South Alabama never trailed in Saturday’s finale and collected 18 hits, one short of the program record.
McGill won her fifth consecutive decision and improved to 12-1, throwing five shutout innings in relief. She struck out four and allowed four hits.
Griffith opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the second, her third homer of the series. Johnson walked and scored later in the inning on a two-out single down the left-field line by Alyssa Linn. Pilkington hit a one-out solo homer to center field in the third for a 3-0 lead.
Texas-Arlington scored its only run in the bottom of the third. Beard issued a leadoff walk and allowed a single before giving way to McGill. McGill hit a batter to load the bases, and a single up the middle drove in a run.
Herron’s two-out RBI double in the fifth scored Griffith for a 5-1 lead. McGill pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the sixth with a fielder’s choice.
South Alabama added four runs in the seventh. Johnson led off with an infield single, freshman Taylor Bahos followed as a pinch-hitter and Herron loaded the bases with a hit through the left side. Minahan singled up the middle to score Johnson, Emily Messer singled home Lowe, Foster drove in Minahan and Pilkington singled to left to score Messer.
Texas-Arlington fell to 22-18. South Alabama is scheduled to host Nicholls State on Wednesday.
Baseball Game 1: South Alabama 13, Arkansas State 10
The South Alabama baseball team scored 10 runs in the first three innings and held on for a 13-10 victory in the series opener. Every Jaguars starter recorded at least one hit.
Matt Bolger had a career-high three hits, going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Gann added two hits, including a double, with two RBIs and two runs.
Kevin Hill earned his fourth win of the season. He allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits, struck out six and walked one.
Baseball Game 2: Arkansas State 4, South Alabama 1
Arkansas State evened the series with a 4-1 win. Austin Bembnowski (2-3) took the loss after allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks.
Baseball Game 3: South Alabama 2, Arkansas State 1
Jared Gates pitched South Alabama to the series win on Sunday. He worked 8 1/3 innings and struck out a career-high nine, allowing one unearned run on four hits while walking eight. Arkansas State loaded the bases three times against Gates and failed to score each time.
Ben Taylor recorded the final two outs for his fourth save of the season.
The Jaguars scored both of their runs in the top of the first. Cole Billingsley singled to center field and stole second, Adam Ballew drew a two-out walk and Danny Martinez doubled to right field to drive in both runners.
Arkansas State fell to 13-17 overall and 4-10 in the Sun Belt. South Alabama travels to Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday for a midweek game.
