Jaguar Softball Defeats Mississippi State 3-2 In Starkville
The #22 ranked South Alabama Jaguars traveled to Starkville, MS to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs Wednesday night and came away with a 3-2 win after turning away three rally attempts by the Bulldogs.
South Alabama put the first run on the board in the top of the fourth inning after senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith led off the inning with a double to left field. She would move to third base on Amanda Minahan’s infield base hit. Blair Johnson would bring Griffith home on an RBI groundout to second base to take a 1-0 lead.
The Jags added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning after Kristian Foster drew a walk. Stephanie Pilkington got on base on a fielder’s choice and was followed by Griffith drawing a walk to put two Jaguars on base. Sophomore Chloe Rathburn then hit a two-run single that fell just short of clearing the outfield wall and the bases, to put the Jags up 3-0.
Then MSU tried to rally. Bulldog center fielder Loryn Nichols reached base on a Jag throwing error to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. She would later score on a two-out single up the middle to cut the Jaguar lead to 3-1 through five complete innings.
The Jags went down in order in the top of the sixth inning, but the Bulldogs continued their attempted rally with back-to-back singles. Jaguar head coach Becky Clark then brough in Farish Beard to relieve starter Kalen McGill. Beard struck out the first batter before shortstop Kayla Winkfield hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in their second run of the game and cutting the Jaguar lead to only one run, 3-2.
Beard opened the seventh inning with a strikeout, then followed with a walk before forcing a pop out to first. Another walk put two Bulldogs on base, but Beard sealed with win after knocking down a bouncer up the middle and throwing them out at first base.
McGill (14-1) pitched a no-hitter for 3 1/3 innings to earn her seventh victory in a row. She struck out three and walked one allowing two runs, only one earned, on four hits in five innings pitched. Beard, who came in as relief, allowed no runs, struck out three with a pair of walks in two innings as she earned the save.
Rathburn went 1-for-3 with two RBI as she recorded her team-leading 15th multiple-RBI game this season. Kaitlyn Griffith went 1-for-3 with a run scored while Pilkington went 1-for-4 with a run scored as well.
Mississippi State’s Alexis Silkwood (22-10) is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Week over the last two voting period took the loss after allowing three runs, all earned, on four Jaguar hits in a complete-game effort.
“This was a really well-played game tonight. It kind of had a postseason feel to it,” said coach Clark. “It was a great win for us on the road. I felt like our kids were prepared, I felt like they competed, and I felt like they were composed the entire game. I’m proud of our effort tonight.”
The Jags improve their overall record to 32-7, their road record to 10-2 on teh season, and thier record against SEC opponents to 2-2 on the season. The Jags have now won the the last four meetings against the Bulldogs to hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series.
USA will return to Sun Belt Conference play this weekend when they host Texas State in the final regular-season conference home series of the season. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1pm as well as Sunday’s finale.
Jags One of Only Two Schools To Complete First Round of SBC Women’s Golf Championship
Photo: Mike Kittrell al.com
South Alabama was able to complete their first round of play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship at Steelwood Country Club, they are one of only two schools who started on Monday and completed their first round on Tuesday due to multiple stoppages because of inclement weather.
Senior Ingrid Hagen led the the Jags with a 3-over par 75. She opened the round with a birdie at the par-five 10th but moved back to even-par after a bogey at the par-four 15th. She would then birdie the par-four 16th to move back under par. However a double-bogey on the par-five 18th would put her at 1-over par, but a birdie at the par-four 1st would again put her at even-par on the round.
Consecutive bogey’s on holes 5 and 6 put her at 2-over par and she would close the round by playing the final four holes at 1-over par.
Caroline Beebe posted a 4-over par 76 after playing the front nine at even par, including pars on seven of her final eight holes.
Carianne Wright posted a 5-over par 77 while Madison Connell carded a 6-over par round and Kaeli Jones added a 7-over par.
The Jags completed the round with a team score of 18-over par score of 306. Louisiana-Monroe was the only other school to finish their first round of play on Tuesday with a 21-over par score of 309. Again inclement weather halted the continuation of round one for the rest of the field as well as round two for USA and ULM.
Officials have yet to determine when the tournament will continue on Wednesday. Visit GolfStat.com for living scoring when the tournament continues as well as full coverage on SunBeltSports.org.
Jags Football Game Versus Nebraksa Set For Evening Prime Time National Broadcast
It was announced on Monday that the Jaguars road game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, September 12 in Lincoln, Nebraska will be aired in prime time nationally on the Big Ten Network. This goes along with the two previously announced national broadcast games to give the Jaguars three nationally broadcast games for the 2015 season.
The exact time for kickoff will be announced later, but the match-up between the Jags and the Huskers was one of ten selected by the network for an evening broadcast.
This will be the first of two games scheduled between the two schools with the second date set for August 31, 2019. It will be the first time the Jaguars have faced a Big Ten Conference opponent.
South Alabama finished the 2014 season with their first-ever appearance in a bowl game, becoming the fastest program to go from starting a program to an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision bowl game, though they lost a heart breaker to Bowling Green in the first annual Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
Nebraska finished 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten Conference and earned an invitation to the Holiday Bowl. Nebraska dismissed their coach after the season and hired Mike Riley to fill the position. Riley spent 14 seasons as the head coach at Oregon State over two different stints (1997-1998 and 2003-2014). Prior to Oregon State he was the head coach of the San Diego Chargers (1999-2001), the Winnepeg Blue Bombers (Canadian Football League 1987-1990) where he won two Grey Cup Championships, and the San Antonio Riders (World League of American Football 1991-1992).
Jaguar Women’s Golfer Carianne Wright Earned All-SBC Honors
Wright, a sophomore, became the third-consecutive Jaguar to earn All-Sun Belt Conference honors after her second-team selection. | Photo credit: usajaguars.com
South Alabama Sophomore Carianne Wright was named to the Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference for Women’s Golf the league office announced on Monday.
Wright’s selection marks the third consecutive year that a Jaguar student-athlete has earned all-conference honors. Ashleigh Ryals (2014) and Kristen Golightly (2013) earned the honor over the previous two seasons.
Wright ranks 13th in the conference, and second among sophomores in the conference, with a 77.21 stroke average entering the SBC Championship at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Alabama.
She has two top-10 finishes and earned a spot in the top-20 in two additional tournaments this year. She posted a career low 1-under par 71 twice this season and posted her lowest three-round total of the season at the MSU Ocala Spring Invitational with a 7-over-par 223.
Inclement weather that caused poor conditions halted the first round of the SBC Women’s Golf Championship. The start of the tournament was delayed until 11am on Monday due to several inches of water on the course during the night. After heavy rains passed through the area Monday, it forced officials to suspend the first round.
South Alabama will resume round one at 5-over par and only three shots back of Arkansas-Little Rock according to the scoring posted at GolfStat.com
USA’s lineup of Ingrid Hagen, Kaeli Jones, Carianne Wright, Madison Connell and Caroline Beebe will return to complete the first round on Tuesday though the time has not yet been determined.
Red Team Wins Red-Blue Spring Football Game 24-21 on Game Ending Kick
The annual Red-Blue Spring Football Game came down to the final snap on Saturday with Aleem Sunanon’s 42-yard field goal being the winning advantage for the Red team’s 24-21 victory. It wasn’t without an effort by the Blue team as their entire sideline was out near the numbers yelling and trying to distract Sunanon’s attempt, but Sunanon was not deterred.
The game winning drive was lead by Dallas Davis and moved the Jags 47 yards in six plays after taking over on the Red 28 yard line with 1:35 left. Consecutive passes to D.J. Vinson and Daylan Abrams of 17 and 19 yards to start the drive and was followed by Kenterrius Gray who carried the ball twice for 11 more yards.
The Blue team had a chance to take a 24-21 lead with under two minutes to go but Corliss Waitman’s field goal attempt missed wide right from 45 yards.
The game started with three touchdowns in the first 15 minutes before only three more touchdowns the rest of the game.
The first score came on Blue team’s Hunter Vaughn’s 33 yard touchdown run on the opening possession. Dallas Davis and the Red team would respond with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Sassaman after a 30-yard gain by Claude Garrett started the drive and tied the game 7-7. On the next possession by the Blue team, Vaughn connected with Ronnie Reed for a 16 yard touchdown to answer the Red teams score to take a 14-7 lead.
Davis tied the game with less than 11 minutes before halftime for the Red team with a 48 yard touchdown to Tyrone Williams.
Kelan James recovered a fumble and Roman Buchanan made a diving interception for two takeaways for Red team.
Margo Reed had a pick at the one yard line for the Blue team.
“I thought it was a real good day, although I’m excited about how the whole spring went,” Jaguar head coach Joey Jones commented. “[Offensive coordinator] Bryant [Vincent] has done a good job coming in with his tempo, that really has helped us offensively, and then we have playmakers who can make people miss which makes it even better. There were some good hits out there today, you kind of like seeing that, but we got through the game and nobody was hurt.”
With the conclusion of the spring practice, the program handed out awards this week. Those included Daniel Aust (offensive line), Caleb Butler (defensive line), James Bynes (tight end), Antonio Carter (safety), Davis (quarterback), Demarius Rancifer (linebacker), Reed (cornerback), Tyreis Thomas (running back), Corliss Waitman (special teams) and Williams (wide receiver) as the most improved individuals at their positions. Nigel Green was selected the most improved academically, while the trio honored for the most improvement in the strength and conditioning program were Cameron Blankenship, Cameron Broadnax and E.J. May. The “I Like To Practice” awards were presented to Tre Alford (defense), Malcolm Buggs and Grant Powell (special teams), and Joseph Scelfo (offense), with Brad Murry (defense) and Christian Pearsall (offense) earning the program’s High Academic Awards.
South Alabama’s football schedule will begin on Saturday, September 5 against Gardner-Webb at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
#22 Jags Softball Sweep Georgia Southern; Baseball Wins 4th Straight SBC Series
Softball
The #22 ranked Jaguar softball team completed another weekend sweep of a Sun Belt Conference opponent.
In Saturday’s doubleheader against Georgia Southern, the Jaguars won the two games by a combined scored of 18-0 and the entire weekend series by a combined score of 25-2 after a rain-shortened game on Sunday.
USA scored all their runs in the first game in two innings against Georgia Southern. In the third inning the Jaguars let loose with four runs, then in the sixth they added three more runs.
Emily Messer led off the bottom of the third inning with a single to third base and advanced to second after the throw first sailed wide. Kristian Foster doubled to right field to put two Jaguars in scoring position. Stephanie Pilkington took advantage by lifting a sacrifice fly to left field to plate the Jaguars first run. Kaitlyn Griffith also hit a sac fly to center, which doubled the Jaguar lead.
Chloe Rathburn had a base hit to set up sophomore center fielder Amanda Minahan to double the lead with her fourth home run of the season.
In the bottom of the sixth, Blair Johnson hit a one-out solo home run to right field to put the Jags up 5-0. Alyssa Linn got on with a single anf followed by Messer’s double which set up Foster to drive in both runners with a single down the right fielder line for the 7-0 advantage.
Kalen McGill (13-1) earned her second complete-game victory as she struck out two and scattered five hits with no walks.
Messer went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the Jags. Foster went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Minahan finished with two RBI and a run scored.
In game two the Jags scored 11 runs in the first three innings, five runs each in the first and third innings for their seventh run-rule victory of the season. Farish Beard also threw her third career no-hitter and the 12th in program history.
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South Alabama Spring Practices Wind Down; Annual Spring Game on Saturday
The South Alabama Football team is winding down their spring practice schedule. They have one final practice this afternoon at 3pm before their annual Red-Blue Spring Game on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
On Wednesday, the football team held a practice in shells on campus. Instead of conducting a team period, the Jags used 7-on-7 skeleton passing drills on two separate occasions, they were nearly 30 minutes long combined, and ran around 75 plays.
Both special teams periods focused on punt formations and punt coverage.
Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent chose Claude Garrett as the offensive player of the day. Vincent praised Garrett for his work ethic and his great speed. He also was part of the play of the day. On the final snap of practice, Garrett beat his defender with a spin move and broke free to grab a 50-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Vaughn.
Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson chose Nigel Green as the defensive player of the day. Pearson praised Green for being more aggressive and confident which impressed Pearson. Pearson also said that Green showed him that he can contribute to more depth at the cornerback position.
Head coach Joey Jones talked after practice about what he’s learned about the team this spring. “I’ve seen the most improvement on defense. We weren’t very good defensively early in the spring, but I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve started to shore up some holes on the front, some guys have stepped up over there, Demarius Rancifer is one example, and we knew Jimmie Gipson III was going to be a good player but he brought his game to another level this spring.”
Jones spoke about the main goal for the offense during spring practices. “Offensively we wanted to improve our tempo, and I think we’re much better there. There’s no doubt we can get even better in that area, but I thought our improvement from day one to now has started to become second nature to them. The more we do that, the better off we’re going to be.”
In the special teams area, Jones said that it was the biggest improvement from last year. “We probably haven’t worked our game as much this spring, but our kickers have been performing very, very well.”
The captains announced for the spring game were: Braedon Bowman and Terrance Timmons for the offense and Blade Dees and Jimmie Gipson III for the defense. On Thursday afternoon the captains picked the teams.
According to Jones, “We’re going to limit what we do, basically we’re going to run one defense with one coverage and about seven offensive plays. We’re not going to show a lot, but we are going to let them get out there, compete and have fun.”
The annual Red-Blue Spring Game will get started at noon on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Gates open at 8am for tailgating and the gates to the stadium open around 11am.
#22 Jags Softball Defeat Nicholl State 11-7 At Jaguar Field
The Jaguar softball team scored 11 runs on 10 hits and scored a run in all but one inning to defeat Nicholls State 11-7 Wednesday evening at Jaguar Field. The win extends USA’s winning streak to seven games and improves their overall record to 28-7 this season.
Senior Farish Beard (6-2) picked up the win after striking out five, walking two and allowing four runs, all earned, on five hits through four innings. Freshman Kalen McGill earned the save, her third of the season, after tossing three innings in relief by striking out seven, issuing no walks and allowing three runs, only one earned, on three hits.
The Colonels took a one run lead in the top of the first inning. A leadoff double allowed a base hit to score the runner from second. But the Jaguars would answer in the bottom half of the inning.
Emily Messer led off the game with a base hit, followed by freshman Kristian Foster drawing a walk to put two Jags on base. Chloe Rathburn supplied an infield single to plate Messer for the Jags first run. Then senior Kaitlyn Griffith hit a two-run double to left center field to score Foster and Rathburn. Blair Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to right center to score Griffith for a 4-1 Jaguar lead through one full inning.
Nicholls State evened the game in the top of the second. A single and walk set up for a two-out two-run double ro right center. Then an RBI single to shallow center field drove in the tying run before Beard could get out of the inning.
In the bottom of the second, Messer earned a one-out walk then stole her 30th career base, which moves her to fifth all-time at South Alabama. Stephanie Pilkington singled to third base and advanced to second on the throw while Messer scored to regain the lead for the Jaguars.
After the Jag settled down defensively and did not allow a run in the third through sixth innings. Though the Jaguar bats kept putting runs on the board with two run per inning in the fourth, fifth and sixth inning to take an 11-4 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Messer singled to third base on a bunt. Then back to back walks to Foster and Pilkington loaded the bases for Rathburn who also walked to score Messer. Griffith flied out to left field to score Kaleigh Todd who pinch ran for Foster.
In the bottom of the fifth, Blair Johnson led off the inning with a home run to right field to increase the Jaguar advantage to 8-4. Amanda Herron would be hit by a pitch followed by Alyssa Linn earning a walk. Messer then reached base on a fielder’s choice where they forced out Gwen Jones, who pinch ran for Herron, at third base. Todd grounded out to shortstop, but Messer and Linn advanced to second and third respectively. Pilkington then walked to load the bases again which prompted a pitching change. After the pitching change Rathburn was walked to score Linn and take a 9-4 lead, but the Colonels would get out of the inning without any more damage when they forced Griffith to fly out to left field for the final out of the inning.
The bottom of the sixth began with Amanda Minahan singling to shortstop and later advancing to second base on a wild pitch. Herron drew a one-out walk to put Jags on first and second, but they would both advance a base on another wild pitch before Taylor Bahos, who pinch hit for Linn, struck out swining. Messer then hit a two-out two-run double to center field to score Minahan and Herron for a 11-4 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning.
The colonels plated three runs in the top of the seventh before McGill retired the final two batters swinging for the save.
Junior third baseman Emily Messer led USA at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI, three runs scored and extending her hitting streak to seven game. Sophomore Amanda Minahan also went 3-for-4 with a run scored as she reached base for the 11th consecutive game. Senior shortstop Kaitly Griffith and sophomore Chloe Rathburn each had three RBI and a run scored. Senior Blair Johnson had a solo homer and two RBI.
The Jags will host Georgia Southern this weekend at Jaguar Field for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1pm, which is also the scheduled time for the Sunday finale.
Jaguar Softball’s Farish Beard Named One of 10 Finalists for Senior CLASS Award
Beard was selected as only one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award to be awarded during the 2015 Women’s College World Series. It honors a student-athlete who excels on and off the field. Fan voting is open now through May 11. | Photo usajaguars.com
South Alabama softball senior pitcher Farish Beard earned another distinction on Tuesday when she was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. The Senior CLASS Award honors student-athletes that excel on and off the field.
CLASS is an acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty, and Achievement for Staying in School”. The award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages them to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Ballots will be distributed nationwide to media, coaches and fans who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four “C’s” of Community, Classroom, Character and Competition.
Fan voting is available online through May 11 at www.seniorCLASSaward.com with the winner being announced during the 2015 Women’s College World Series.
Beard has a 3.4 GPA and was named the 2013-14 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athlete. She was also part of the 2014 Jaguar team that earned the Sun Belt Conference Team Academic Award with a 3.36 overall GPA.
On the field, Beard is 5-2 on the season with a team-low 1.40 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 19 walks with only nine earned runs in 45 innings pitched.
She was a top-25 finalist for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, was named to the NFCA All-South Regional Second Team and the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. She led the NCAA in ERA for three weeks and topped the country in hits allowed per seven inning for two weeks. She finished fifth in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings (3.40), sixth in ERA (1.23) and ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (9.5).
Beard has been a three-time SBC pitcher of the week and has led the SBC in opposing batting average (.141), strikeouts (224), hits allowed (80), runs allowed (40) and doubles allowed (9), ranking among the top four in ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts looking, wins and fewest earned runs, walks, triples and home runs allowed. She even held opposing batters to the second-lowest average in a season in program history while recording the second-best strikeouts-per-seven-innings ratio in school history. Her win and shutout totals were third-most in a single season for a US pitcher.
Congratulations Farish!
Jaguar fans, go vote at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/ and help Farish bring home the award for her hard work both on and off the field!
Southeastern Louisiana defeat Jags 12-2
The Jaguar baseball team fell on the road in Hammond, Louisiana 12-2 Tuesday night to Southeastern Louisiana. SLU righty Pat Cashman stymied the Jaguars through six inning as he scattered seven hits and allowed only two runs.
The Lions took a one run lead in the bottom of the first after a triple to the gap in left center field. One batter later he would score after a fielding error at first base.
In the top of the second the Jaguars would answer. Adam Ballew would lead off the inning with a single to center field, then moved to second base after a throwing error by the pitcher in an attempted pickoff at first base. Matt Bolger would drew a two-out walk then Ballew would advance to third on a wild pitch by Cashman. Garrett DeGallier then hit a two-out RBI single to left-center field to tie the game.
The Lions would regain the lead in the bottom of the second inning. A two-out walk by Jaguar Starter Ryne Long, followed by an infield single to move him to second. Then a two-out RBI single to center field would give SLU the lead back at 2-1, but they weren’t done just yet. A two-run single to center field would extend the lead to 4-1 when it was all said and done.
The Jags threatened in the top of the third by loading the bases with one out. It started with Jared Barnes hitting an single, then a walk by Bud Collura followed by a single to center field by Ballew. Danny Martinez would score Barnes on a sacrifice fly to left field to cut the lead to 4-2.
SLU would add another run in the bottom of the third to regain their three-run advantage.
The Jags hopes for a comeback were doused as the Lions tacked on seven runs over the final two innings to put the game away 12-2.
The Jags fall to 22-12 on the season while Southeastern Louisiana improve to 25-9.
South Alabama will return home to host Appalachian State for a three-game series beginning on Friday at Eddie Stanky Field.