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!
Jag Softball’s Kalen McGill Earns Pitcher of the Week Honors
Freshman right handed pitcher Kalen McGill earned her first Pitcher of the Week honor on April 6. McGill has won her last five outings, and picked up two wins last week in relief. | Photo credit: usajaguars.com
South Alabama Softball freshman Kalen McGill earned Pitcher of the Week honors from the Sun Belt Conference Office on Monday. McGill helped the Jaguars claim a pair of wins in relief last week. She has won five straight outings.
She is the fourth Jaguar to earn a weekly honor from the conference office. Fellow freshman Devin Brown earned Pitcher of the Week on February 9 and March 2, senior Farish Beard earned the same honor on March 23, and senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith earned Player of the Week honor on February 23.
McGill (12-1) is tied for second place in the Sun Belt Conference with 12 win, is in fourth place in the conference in ERA (2.18), is tied for third fewest in walks allowed (14) and fifth in earned runs allowed (24). She is also 28th in the nation with fewest walks allowed per seven innings with 1.27.
“Kalen has been huge for us these past two series, so I am excited that she is being recognized for her efforts,” Jaguar head coach Becky Clark said. “She is such a competitor and wants the ball in tough situations. She has done a great job of attacking the zone, and our defense has done a great job of making the plays behind her.”
South Alabama will host Nicholls State on Wednesday evening with first pitch slated for 5pm at Jaguar Field. They will then host Georgia Southern for a weekend series with a double header on Saturday beginning at 1pm and the finale on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1pm as well.
Jags Softball Sweep Texas-Arlington; Baseball Win Series against Arkansas State
Softball
The #22 ranked South Alabama Jaguar softball team swept Texas-Arlington over the weekend in Texas. This was their third consecutive conference series sweep.
On Friday, the Jags opened the double-header with a 6-3 win behind Farish Beard’s season-high-tying 12 batters with three run allowed (two earned) on four hits in a complete game effort.
The Mavericks jumped out to an early lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out, two-run double to right field. The runners reached base on a throwing error and a walk.
But the Jaguars would respond with six runs spread across the fourth and fifth innings. Kaitlyn Griffith led off the fourth inning with a solo homer to left field. Blair Johnson scored to tie the game 2-2 when freshman Haleigh Lowe singled. Amanda Herron homered to center field to put the Jags ahead 4-2.
In the fifth inning Griffith and Johnson hit back-to-bak solo homers to put the Jaguars lead at 6-2.
UTA catcher Kacey Everett led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo homer to right but Beard would retire the next three batters in order to put the game in the books.
Griffith finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored on two solo home runs. Johnson also finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, one of her hits being a home run. Lowe finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Amanda Minahan was 2-for-4 in the game as well.
In the second game of the double header the Jags hot bats continued by scoring three runs in the top half of the first inning. Chloe Rathburn started it with a two-run single then Johnson added a two-out RBI base hit later in the inning.
But the Mavericks took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when they put up 4 runs.
The Jags would score five unanswered runs to seal th win.
In the top of the third, Stephanie Pilkington reached on a fielder’s choice then stole second base. Rathburn hit a two-out single through the left side of the infield to score Pilkington and tie the game at 4-4.
In the top of the fifth inning, Griffith drew a leadoff walk then Johnson reached base on a hit. Herron then hit a two-run single to put the Jags ahead 6-4. Herron also led off the top of the seventh with a solo homer to right field. Kristian Foster hit a double and was pinch ran for by Kaleigh Todd, then Pilkington hit an RBI double to score Todd.
Freshman Devin Brown got the start but was replaced by Kalen McGill in the second inning after Brown gave up four unearned runs on one hit with four walks and two strikeouts.
In the finale on Saturday, the Jags cruised to a 9-1 win over the Mavericks after never trailing in the game and pounding out 18 hits, falling one hit short of tying a program record.
McGill earned her fifth consecutive voctory after pitching five innings of shutout relief to improve her record to 12-1 on the season. She struck out four and scattered four hits.
USA opened the scoring in the top of the second when Griffith hit a solo home run, her third homer of the weekend. Johnson drew a walk and scored when Alyssa Linn hit a two-out single down the left field line.
In the top of the third inning Pilkington hit a one-out solo homer to straightaway center field put the Jags ahead 3-0.
The Mavericks answered in the bottom of the third with their only run of the game. Beard allowed a leadoff walk and a single before being replaced by McGill. McGill would load the bases after hitting a batter then a single up the middle would score the only run.
In the top of the fifth, Herron would hit a two-out RBI double to score Griffith and put the Jaguars ahead 5-1.
McGill would load the bases in the bottom of the sixth but a fielder’s choice would get the Jags out of the situation without allowed a run.
In the top of the seventh, Johnson led off with an infield single and was followed by freshman Taylor Bahos with a pinch-hit. Herron loaded the bases with a hit through the left side. Minahan would single up the middle to score Johnson for a 6-1 lead.
Emily Messer would get a base hit to score Lowe, then Foster would drive in Minahan to make it 8-1. Finally Pilkington finished off the scoring with a base hit to left field to score Messer.
USA improved their record to 27-7 on the season. Texas-Arlington falls to 22-18 on the season.
USA will play host Nicolls State on Wednesday.
Baseball
The South Alabama baseball team took two of the three games agaisnt Arkansas State to win their third-consecutive Sun Belt Conference series.
The Jags scored 10 runs in the first three innings and cruised to a 13-10 to open the series. Every Jaguar starter recorded at least one hit. Matt Bolger led the team with a career high three hits by going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBi and a run scored. Gann added two hits, one being a double, with two RBI and two runs scored.
Kevin Hill earned his fourth win of the season, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits while striking out six and issuing one walk.
Arkansas State evened the series with a 4-1 win over the Jags in the second game of the series. Austin Bembnowski (2-3) allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks in the loss.
On Sunday, Jared Gates pitched the Jags to the 2-1 series win over the Red Wolves. He struck out a career-high nine batters after pitching 8 1/3 innings. He allowed only four hits and one unearned runs while walking eight.
Ben Taylor threw 2/3 of an inning of relief for his fourth save of the season.
The Jags opened with two runs in the top of the first inning after Cole Billingsley singled to center field then stole second base. Adam Ballew reached on a two-out walk then Danny Martinez hit a two-run double to right field to score the Jags only runs of the game.
The Red Wolves would load the bases three times against Gates, but each time he would pitch out of the situation.
The Jags improve their record to 22-11 overall and 9-6 in conference play. ASu falls to 13-17 overall and 4-10 in conference play.
The Jags will travel to Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday for a mid-week matchup.
Jaguar Weekend Update
Softball
The #24 ranked Jags improved their record to 24-7 overall and 8-3 in the conference after the weekend sweep of Georgia State.
Saturday’s doubleheader against Georgia State to open the series was a slugfest. The Jags took both games, but not without putting up some big numbers.
In the first game, the Jags came back from a 5-1 deficit through two innings to take a 6-5 lead after the top of the fourth inning. After adding an additional run in the top of the sixth, the Pathers tied it up a 7-each in the bottom of the sixth.
But the Jaguars manufactured another run in the top of the seventh and held it in the bottom of the frame to win the first game 8-7.
Kaleigh Todd went 3-of-4 with two runs scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Amanda Minahan was 2-of-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Stephanie Pilkington went 2-of-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Emily Messer went 1-of-5 with a run scored.
Game two of just a continuation of the story from game one.
USA scored two runs in the top of the first to go up 2-0 but the Panthers responded with a five-spot in the bottom half of the inning. Through two innings the Jags were facing a 7-3 deficit.
After cutting the lead by two runs in the top half of the third inning when Chloe Rathburn and Kaitlyn Griffith both hit solo homers to left field.
USA finally took the lead in the top half of the fourth inning when they put up a 5-spot of their own. Amanda Herron led off the inning with a double to right center then replaced by pinch runner Alyssa Linn. Minahan hit a double to left center field to score Linn. Pilkington then hit a homer to right field as the Jags took an 8-7 lead but were not done scoring. Rathburn walked and Blair Johnson hit a two-out two-run homer to center field to put the Jags ahead 10-7.
Georgia State answered with a three-run game-tying bottom of the fourth inning. A solo homer began the scoring then a single followed by a triple scored the second run but a throwing error allowed the Panthers to tie the game at 10-each.
The Jags fifth inning scoring began with Rathburn hitting a two-run double to score Minahan, who had reached base on a fielders choice, and Pilkington, who hit a double. Johnson then doubled up the middle to score Rathburn for a 13-10 advantage.
The Panthers would only score a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 13-11, but Kalen McGill retired three straight to snuff out the rally attempt.
Amanda Minahan led the Jags by going 2-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Stephanie Pilkington went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Rathburn went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Blair Johnson went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored.
McGill earned the win in both games. Devin Brown allowed seven runs, all earned, on five hits with two strikeouts in the opening inning. Kaleigh Floore gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits with a strikeout in three innings of relief.
Meanwhile, Johnson moved into second place in Jaguar history books with her 37th double, good for second all-time. She also moved into third place in career RBI with her 109th.
In the third and final game of the series the Jags fell behind after the first inning after the Panthers put one on the board but then hit their stride in the second frame.
Freshman righty Kalen McGill recorded her first career complete-game victory after holding GSU to three runs, all earned, on nine hits with a walk and a strikeout in seven innings. Her record improved to 10-1 after being credited with all three wins over the weekend.
Minahan led the Jags at the plate again on Sunday by going 3-of-4 with three RBI and a run scored including a solo homer in the top of the fourth. Haleigh Lowe and Amanda Herron both went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and one RBI with two walks. Kristian Foster went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles. Griffith added a run and Messer added an RBI in the effort.
South Alabama will travel to Arlington, Texas to face the Mavericks in a three-game series that gets underway on Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 4pm and concludes on Saturday at 1pm.
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team took two out of three against Louisiana-Monroe over the weekend at the Warhawks.
The Jags opened the series with a 12-4 win behind Kevin Hill’s six scorless inning. he scattered 10 hits while striking out six and only issuing a walk. That extended his consecutive scoreless streak to 15 innings and earned his third win of the season.
Every Jag started earned at least one hit. Garrett DeGallier led the team by going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Cole Billingsley went 3-fo-6 with two RBI and a run scored. Matt Bolger added two hits, two RBI and three runs scored.
The Jags clinched the series with a 9-4 win on Saturday after the Jags collected 14 hits and two three-run innings to defeat the Warhawks.
ULM jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Jags would answer in the top of the second with a run but would take the lead in the top of the fourth after Martinez hit a two-out three-run homer.
Mike Dolloff earned his third win of the season after 5 1/3 innings of relief where he allowed two runs on two hits and three walks.
Eight Jaguars recorded at least one hit in the game with Martinez leading the way with career highs in hits and RBI after going 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored.
In the third game the Jags were unable to complete the sweep after falling to ULM 4-3. USA threatened in the top of the seventh after they loaded the bases but an inning-ending double play ended the threat.
USA cut the lead to one run in the top of the eighth, but were unable to tie the game.
Cole Billingsley led the team after going 3-for-5. USA’s record improved to 18-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play after the weekend.
Farish Beard Earns Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week
The right-handed senior from Fairhope, AL went 3-0 this week with a win over Southern Miss and a pair of wins against conference foe Appalachian State to earn Pitcher of the Week honors. | Photo usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Farish Beard was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after recording three wins over that time period the Conference office announced on Monday.
Beard, who just returned to the lineup from an injury that had her resting for several weeks, went 3-0 with a pair of wins over conference opponent Appalachian State over the weekend and a non-conference win over Conference USA’s Southern Miss midweek.
She struck out 21 batters to four walks and only one earned run on nine hits in 18 innings pitched. She allowed only two hits to the Golden Eagles on Wednesday and Appalachian State in game one of a Saturday doubleheader. She had a no-hitter going against the Mountaineers until the fourth inning when they got a pair of hits. She responded by retiring six of the final seven batters faced.
Currently Beard is ranked second in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven inning (2.68), third in the nation in ERA (0.41), she leads the SBC in ERA, fewest hits allowed (13), fewest runs allowed (4), fewest earned runs allowed (2) and is tied for the conference lead in fewest home runs allowed (1). She also ranks second in the conference in opposing batting average (.120) and third in fewest walks allowed (10).
Out of seven voting periods this year, the Jaguars have had a honoree four times. Freshman Devin Brown was selected pitcher of the week on February 9 and March 2 and senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith was named Player of the Week on February 23.
Jaguar Softball and Baseball Have Successful Weekends
Softball
The University of South Alabama Jaguar softball team completed a three-game sweep of conference foe Appalachian State over the weekend to improve their record to 21-6 overall and 5-3 in Sun Belt Conference play.
In the first game of the series, the Jags put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead. Emily Messer got it started by getting on base on a Mountaineer fielding error. She was followed by Stephanie Pilkington who singled then stole second one batter later. Chloe Rathburn hit a double to left center field to put the Jags up 2-0. Blair Johnson then hit a two-out single to right center field for the third run of the inning.
In the top of the fifth inning the Mountaineer finally got on the board due to a fielding error by the Jaguars. But in the bottom half of the inning the Jags responded with another three-run burst.
Haleigh Lowe started it off with a one-out walk followed by back-to-back singles by Messer and Amanda Minahan. Pilkington then delivered a three-run double.
Farish Beard would retire the Mountaineer batters in order in the sixth and seventh innings for her third win of the year. Additionally, over the last 20 innings she has struck out 28 batters to three walks and one earned run on eight hits.
In game two the Mountaineer was not going to go down without a fight.
In the top of the first inning, Appalachian State took a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer to right field.
The Jags would cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second inning. Lowe earned a lead-off walk then would score on Kaleigh Todd’s single.
After the second inning, the Jags could only manage a hit and a walk until the bottom of the sixth inning when Kaitlyn Griffith singled. Lowe would put down a sacrifice bunt to move Griffith to second, followed by Griffith stealing third but she would be stranded there after a pair of pop-ups ended the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Jags started their comeback effor again. Alyssa Linn came off the bench to deliver a single through the right side. Pilkington then got on base with a bunt single after two infielders collided after fielding the ball. Rathburn would fly out next.
Then Blair Johnson stepped up and delivered a two-run triple down the right field line giving the Jags a 3-2 walk-off victory. The triple was Johnson’s eighth of her career, which is second-most in program history. She also moved to fourth all-time in games played at USA (195). Kaitlyn Griffith is currently seventh with 184 games played.
On Saturday, Pilkington was 3-for-7 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Amanda Herron had a pair of doubles. Emily Messer and Haleigh Lowe both scored two runs each.
In the finale on Sunday, the Jags used a five-run first inning and a three-run fifth inning to earn an 8-0 run-rule victory over the Mountianeer.
Beard earned her fourth win of the year in as many appearances since her return a week ago. She struck out five and walked two and carried a no-hitter into the top of the fourth inning before the Mountaineer earned two hits off of her. She then retired six of the final seven batters she faced.
On Sunday, Lowe finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored. Kaitlyn Griffith and Chloe Rathburn both had an RBI and a run scored each. Emily Messer was 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored.
The Jags will travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU, the #1 team in the nation, on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 6pm.
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team took two out of three from Texas State over the weekend at Eddie Stanky Field.
The Jags opened with a 7-1 win on Friday night behind Kevin Hill’s eight scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts. Hill only allowed two hits in eight innings for his second win of the season. Eight Jaguar starters recorded at least one hit in the game with Ballew finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Gleason went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Cole Billingsley added two hits, two runs scored and three stolen bases. Bud Collura finished with two hits, an RBI and one run scored.
In game two on Saturday, Jaguar Ben Gann’s bases-loaded walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Jaguars to a 2-1 series-clinching win.
The Jags loaded the bases with one out in the 11th on consecutive singled by Danny Martinez and Cole Gleason then a walk by Jason Cryar. Gann then lifted the first pitch he saw to shallow right field to score Martinez.
In the series finale on Sunday, the Bobcats used a four-run eighth inning to stave off a three-game sweep. The Jags (15-9, 5-4 SBC) attempted a rally in the bottom of the ninth, but stranded the tying run in scoring position when the game ended.
Texas State (10-12-1, 6-3 SBC) earned the 8-7 win to avoid the sweep.
The Jags will host the University of Alabama at Eddie Stanky Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:30pm on Tuesday.
Jags Use Strong Defense In Final Minutes To Defeat UALR 57-55; Advance In SBC Tournament
The South Alabama Men’s Basketball team used strong defense late in the game to hold off a hard charging Arkansas-Little Rock team in the final minutes of the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to win 57-55.
The #6 seeded Jags held UALR without a field goal for the final 3:49, then used key stops to hold on for the win.
USA led UALR by as many as 18 points midway through the second half, but saw that lead shrink down to just one point with 28.4 seconds left. But the Jags held strong by forcing a turnover and two missed shots including a desperation shot at the buzzer.
Senior Dionte Ferguson earned his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds to go with four blocks, including a huge one in the final moments to help preserve the win.
UALR’s Josh Hagins went to the free throw line with 28.4 seconds left and a chance to tie the game, but could only convert one. On the subsequent possession, due to the flagrant foul, USA forced a turnover. Barrington Stevens III also went 1-of-2 from the free throw line but made the Jags lead two points.
Ferguson blocked a shot attempt with four seconds left, then after a timeout following a missed USA field goal, they missed a deperate attempt by Hagins at the buzzer.
Stevens chipped in 14 points in the game. Ken Williams had 12 points all in the second half, with Abdul Lewis and Taishaun Johnson both added eight points each while Lewis added 11 rebounds.
“I’m extremely proud of my team,” head coach Matthew Graves said. “The preparation was really good. I thought we got off to a tremendous start in the first half. We did unbelievable job shrinking the floor; held them to under 30 percent in the first half, and that’s what you have to do. If you want to win at tournament time, you have to really lock in and defend.
“In the second half, I thought we got really tentative around the 12-minute mark. You can say fatigue, all kinds of excuses, but the bottom line is we got tight, missed some shots and turned the ball over a few times. UALR is a very good team. They’re very explosive. They’re capable of making 3s and then they started putting the ball on the floor and getting into the paint and that really bothered us. We were trying to juggle some foul trouble, but the two possessions there late where we dug in defensively and got stops, those were two of the best possessions we’ve had all year long.”
“I’m really proud of this group of guys,” Graves continued. “They hung tough; they battled and it was one of the few times I could say that we got it done on the defensive end of the floor. Usually we score a bunch of points and they’re able to stretch things out, or we score to make a play to win the game, but tonight I can honestly say those couple possessions late defensively, I’m most proud of those two.”
The Jags will face #3 seed Louisiana-Monroe on Friday at 7:30pm. Game coverage will be on 710 AM WNTM in the Mobile area and iHeartRadio. TV coverage will be on ESPN3.com.
Williams, Hall Earn All-SBC Postseason Honors
A pair of South Alabama student-athletes were named to the All-Sun Belt teams on Tuesday. Ken Williams and Breanna Hall were both selected to All-Sun Belt Teams.
Ken Williams was voted to the All-SBC Men’s Basketball Second Team, his first all-conference honor in his career. He ranks seventh in the conference in scoring with 15.9 ppg, second in 3-pointers per game with 2.6, eighth in 3-point percentage with a .371 average, and eighth in free-throw percentage with .794. He averaged 18 points and 2.8 3-pointers per game which ranked second and first in the conference respectively.
His current total of 82 triples is seventh best at USA in a single season and a record for a sophomore. He is four points away from becoming the 21st player in school history to score 500 points in a season.
Williams scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, including a stretch of four consecutive with at least 23 points. He also make multiple three-pointers in 24 of his 31 games this season.
The South Alabama Men’s Team will face Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 7:30pm in New Orleans. The game will be aired on ESPN3.
Hall was named to the Third-Team All-SBC on Tuesday for her first postseason honor. She earned preseason All-Conference honors earlier this year.
She ended the regular season ranked fifth in the conference in scoring with 15.4 ppg. She accounted for 416 points this season, the first Jaguar to top the 400-point mark since 2008-09 season. Hall led the conference in 3-point shooting with a 40.8% mark and was among the national leaders in that category. Her 2.4 triples per game were second most in the conference this season.
She ranked third in free throw shooting by converting 82% of her attempts.
Jaguar Sports Weekend Update
Men’s Basketball
Fresh off of clinching a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in New Orleans, South Alabama Men’s basketball team returned home for Senior Night to host the Troy Trojans. A big scoring night by Ken Williams and Barrington Stevens III led the Jaguars to a 96-93 win at the Mitchell Center.
The Jags finish the regular season with back-to-back wins to improve their record to 11-20 overall and 9-11 in conference play. Troy ends the season with a 10-19 mark overall and a 5-15 mark in conference play.
Troy’s Musa Abdul-Aleem scored 37 points with eight 3-pointers against the Jaguars while Wesley Person added 25 points. But it was the Jaguars offensive surge in about midway through the second half that propelled the Jaguars to victory.
Dionte Ferguson played 36 minutes with 19 points and 14 rebounds for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season. In the second half alone, he had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Williams was a point shy of equally his career high with 28 points and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Stevens III set a new personal record with 19 points and five 3-pointers. Both Williams and Stevens combined to score all five points for the Jags in the final 25 seconds.
With the win, the Jaguars earn the #6 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and will play Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday night at 7:30pm.
Softball
The #24 ranked Jaguar softball team dropped both games of a Saturday double-header to #7 ranked Lousiana-Lafayette by scores of 3-2 in Game 1 and 9-3 in game 2.
The Jags rally came up short after scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning but could not overcome the one run deficit their next time up in the bottom of the seventh.
Emily Messer led off the inning with an infield single followed by freshman Kristian Foster being hit by a pitch. Kaleigh Todd came on to pinch run for Foster. Messer scored from third on Rathburn’s RBI single and Todd would score on Amanda Minihan’s two-out bases-loaded walk before Amanda Herron popped out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the seventh Messer drew a one-out walk but Todd struck out swinging and Stephanie Pilkington flied out to left field. Messer was 2-for-3 in the game with a run scored while Rathburn was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Devin Brown gave up two earned runs on two hits while striking out three with five walks in 3 2/3 innings. McGill threw 3 1/3 innings of relief and gave up one unearned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks.
In game two on Saturday the Cajuns scored in all but one inning including a three-run second inning and a two-run seventh inning.
Messer was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Pilkington went 2-for-3 whiel Rathburn went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Brown took the loss in game two as well.
In the third and final game of the series on Sunday, the Jaguars took a 4-3 lead in the third inning then followed up with a three-run fifth inning and an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the Cajuns 8-5.
Blair Johnson went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Pilkington went 1-for-4 with two RBI, Rathburn went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI while Kaitlyn Griffith went 1-for-2 with a run scored and three RBI.
Devin Brown earned the win to run her record to 8-4 on the season with Kalen McGill earning her third save of the season.
The Jags record sits at 16-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Baseball
After falling to UALR in the opening game 4-3 the Jags came back and won the next two games to win the series with scores of 1-0 and 3-2.
In game one Cole Billingsley went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a walk as Kevin Hill went 5 innings and allowing one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks.
In the second game, USA and UALR were scoreless through seven-and-a-half innings before the Jaguars scratched the one and only run across the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Daniel Martinez got the game winning RBI.
In the third and final game of the series, the Jags scored in the bottom of the 11th inning on an error to win the game.
Martinez led off the inning with a single to right field followed by Garrett DeGallier drawing a walk. Pinch hitter Cameron Cummings grounded to shortstop who threw wide of third base trying to get a forced out but instead allowed Martinez to score the game-winning run.
The Jags improve to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in SBC play. UALR falls to 4-7 overall and 1-2 in SBC play.
#24 Jaguar Softball hosts #7 Lousiana-Lafayette for three-game Series at Jaguar Field
This is a huge weekend for South Alabama Softball.
The #24 ranked Jags (15-3) open their Sun Belt Conference schedule by hosting #7 ranked Louisiana-Lafayette (15-2) for a three-game series at Jaguar Field.
USA and ULL have split the last 12 matches and have met for the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic bid twice in the last three seasons. The Cajuns will bring the reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Christina Hamilton and 2012 and 2013 first team All-Sun Belt choice Jordan Wallace. The Jags will counter with 2014 first team All-Sun Belt selection Farish Beard and two-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week in her freshman Season Devin Brown.
The Cajuns pitching has held opponents to a .147 batting average and 16 runs over 106 2/3 innings. The Jaguars have allowed opponents to hit .176 and to score 41 runs in 120 innings.
ULL faced #4 ranked Alabama last weekend in Tuscaloosa, so this is their second-consecutive weekend in Alabama to face a top-25 teams.
The series opens on Saturday with a double-header beginning at noon and the second game at 2pm. The third and final game of the series will get underway at 1pm on Sunday.
Go Jags!