Box Score

Box Score
 
Bulldog Kickoff Classic Information
 
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After giving up two runs in the first inning, the University of South Alabama softball team rallied with timely hits and a suffocating defense to hand Mississippi State a 3-2 season-opening defeat Thursday night in the initial matchup of the Bulldog Kickoff Classic at MSU Softball Complex.
 
The Bulldogs’ third batter, Sam Lenahan, drove a two-run shot over left center after USA starter Farish Beard walked Jessica Offutt for an early MSU lead. The Jaguars did not register a hit against MSU’s Alison Owen – who broke the school record for strikeouts in a season-opener in her Bulldog debut – until the fourth inning, but consecutive doubles from Brittany Fowler and Kaitlyn Griffith, plus a Meghan Collins sacrifice fly, equalized the scoreline.
 
USA designated player Blair Johnson then provided the game-winning margin in the sixth inning when she stroked a solo shot – her first collegiate homer – over right center.
 
“We started out very aggressive, and when they went up two runs we started to get a little defensive at the plate; we started to just try and make contact,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “We talked about it not looking at the scoreboard; I just told them to go have great at-bats and attack the strike zone, and they did an awesome job of that.
 
“Overall, I thought this was just a tremendous team win,” Clark continued. “I thought it personified who we are as a club. That’s going to be us every time we’re on the field; compete as a team, win as a team.”
 
Hannah Campbell earned the win in the circle for the Jags, pitching three shutout relief innings, striking out four of 10 batters faced and allowing only a single hit. Beard struck out three on the night.
 
“I though both of our pitchers did a great job,” said Clark. “Farish did a great job in the beginning. She only made that one mistake, and they made her pay for it, but that’s not her; she will get that cleaned up. She gave us a chance, and Hannah came in and did what she does.”
 
Owen pitched all seven innings for the Bulldogs and recorded nine strikeouts.
 
MSU outhit the Jaguars 4-3 on the night. The Bulldogs left six runners on base to USA’s one.
 
After three scoreless innings following the Lenahan homer, Johnson flied out to left to start the fourth inning, then Fowler broke up Owens’s no-hitter with a stand-up double to right-center. Griffith sent a 2-2 pitch just over MSU third-baseman Logan Foulkes’s head at shallow left, plating Fowler to cut the Jaguar deficit in half. Griffith, who advanced to third on the throw home, was brought home by a Collins sacrifice fly to left field to even the scoreline.

With the Bulldogs back up to the plate in the home half of the fourth, Chrissie Rovtar advanced to first after being hit by Beard, with speedster Briana Bell coming on to pinch run. Shelby Fisher then reached the first bag on a fielder’s choice by Jag third baseman Haley Fagan, who fired to Griffith at second to eliminate the runner. Consecutive ground-outs to Fagan and Beard, respectively, kept the Bulldogs off the board entering the fifth inning.
 
Junior Hannah Campbell came on for Beard in the bottom of the fifth and put down Offutt on consecutive strikes. The Bulldogs’ offensive source, Lenahan, fouled out to Fowler next, and H. Campbell threw out Foulkes to end the inning.
 
After Emily Messer struck out to start the sixth, Johnson blasted her moonshot to push the Jags ahead 3-2. Consecutive foul outs by Fowler and Griffith took the game to the lower sixth.
 
Campbell struck out both Heidi Shape and Julie Echols before Rovtar grounded out to Fowler to end the sixth inning.
 
Three consecutive pop-ups saw the Jags unable to extend their lead at the top of the seventh.
 
Griffith rounded up a double-hopper from Shelby Fisher for USA’s first out of the final frame. The second out came when Ashley Phillips cracked a full-count pitch on the ground to Fowler, who blocked the screamer skyward to herself and fired to Collins at first.
 
Facing two strikes, Jessica Cooley singled to left to bring Offutt to the plate. On a 3-2 count, Campbell fired past Offutt to end the game
 
USA is now 1-0 on the year and will face Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Tennessee State tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
 
Further results from the Bulldog Kickoff Classic will be posted to the Jaguar athletics website immediately following each game. Live stats can be found via the links listed above.
 
STARTING LINEUP
 
South Alabama
14        Alyssa Linn                   LF
2          Blair Johnson                DP
6          Brittany Fowler             SS
21        Kaitlyn Griffith               2B
11        Meghan Collins             1B
3          Haley Fagan                 3B
10        Julie Moss                    RF
16        Alex Breeden                C
9          Britany Campbell          CF
15        Farish Beard                 P
 
Mississippi State
2          Jessica Cooley             LF
26        Jessica Offutt               CF
16        Sam Lenahan                C
7          Logan Foulkes              3B
22        Heidi Shape                  2B
6          Julie Echols                  SS
44        Chrissie Rovtar             DP
14        Shelby Fisher               1B
20        Ashley Phillips              RF
4          Alison Owen                 P
 
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).