MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama teams went 8-1 in home games across four sports over the weekend. The No. 24 softball team swept its Mardi Gras Invitational, the baseball team opened its season with a three-game sweep of New Orleans, and the men’s basketball team held off Texas-Arlington. The women’s basketball team lost to UT Arlington.
Men’s Basketball: South Alabama 97, Texas-Arlington 91
South Alabama built a 20-point halftime lead and held on to beat Texas-Arlington 97-91.
The Mavericks outscored the Jaguars 62-48 in the second half as South Alabama committed 14 of its 20 turnovers after halftime, but UT Arlington could not close the gap.
Sophomore Ken Williams led all scorers with a career-high 29 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds. He made 6 of 10 3-point attempts, five of them in the first half, and went 9-for-11 at the free-throw line.
South Alabama improved to 9-17 overall and 7-8 in the Sun Belt Conference. UT Arlington fell to 14-10 and 8-6.
The Jaguars play at Georgia State on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Softball: Four Wins at the Mardi Gras Invitational
The No. 24 Jaguars won all four of their games at Jaguar Field.
South Alabama 5, Oklahoma State 4
The tournament opened Friday with a walk-off win over Oklahoma State. Stephanie Pilkington drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning to end the game.
South Alabama 4, Lipscomb 1
South Alabama scored two runs in the bottom of the first and two more in the third. Sophomore Chloe Rathburn’s first home run of the season put the Jaguars ahead 2-0 in the first inning.
Freshman Kalen McGill (2-0) allowed one earned run on four hits, struck out three and walked none. Her ERA stayed at 0.51.
Rathburn went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs on Saturday. Senior left fielder Blair Johnson and junior third baseman Emily Messer each went 3-for-7, combining for three RBIs and two runs.
South Alabama 9, Butler 4
South Alabama scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Kaitlyn Griffith and Amanda Herron drew walks, and after a Butler pitching change, senior Alyssa Linn walked to load the bases. After freshman second baseman Kaleigh Todd lined out, Messer doubled to center to drive in two runs and Amanda Minahan followed with a two-run double for a 4-0 lead. Pilkington walked and Rathburn singled off the pitcher to reload the bases, Minahan scored on a wild pitch, and Griffith, up for the second time in the inning, singled home Pilkington for a 6-0 lead.
Butler scored twice in the third. Johnson’s RBI double in the fourth scored pinch runner Gwen Jones, and the Bulldogs scored twice in the fifth to make it 7-4. South Alabama added two runs in the sixth.
Freshman Devin Brown (3-1) struck out eight and walked five, allowing four earned runs on three hits in four innings. Her ERA rose to 2.30. Brown has 46 strikeouts in six appearances, ninth on South Alabama’s career list.
South Alabama 10, Evansville 2
The Jaguars closed the tournament Sunday with a run-rule win over Evansville. Brown earned her fourth win. Minahan went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs, Rathburn went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, and Herron went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs. Freshman Kristian Foster went 2-for-2 with a run scored in her first career start.
Tournament Honors
Minahan was named tournament MVP after going 5-for-15 (.333) with six RBIs, five runs, a home run, an .800 slugging percentage and a .412 on-base percentage. She was joined on the all-tournament team by pitchers McGill and Brown and outfielder Pilkington.
South Alabama plays at Nicholls State on Tuesday, then hosts the South Alabama Invitational beginning Friday, Feb. 20.
Baseball: Season-Opening Sweep of New Orleans
The baseball team opened its season by sweeping New Orleans 7-3, 8-2 and 8-6 at Eddie Stanky Field.
South Alabama hosts Auburn on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball: UT Arlington 63, South Alabama 46
The South Alabama women lost 63-46 to Texas-Arlington at home, their fifth straight loss. The Jaguars play at Georgia State in Atlanta on Thursday.
