GULF SHORES, Ala. – No. 23 University of South Alabama freshman right-hander Devin Brown pitched a one-hit shutout in her first collegiate start to lead the Jaguars past Liberty in the club's first contest at the 2015 Sand Dollar Classic at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex on Friday.
 
The Jaguars (1-1) scratched a run across in the first inning and added seven in the fourth and fifth to go ahead 8-0 and win by virtue of the mercy rule.
 
Junior outfielder Stephanie Pilkington and sophomore Chloe Rathburn, making her first career start behind the plate, each batted 2-for-3 with three RBI to lead South Alabama offensively. Freshman second baseman Kaleigh Todd and senior outfielder Alyssa Linn each accounted for a pair of runs, while senior first baseman Amanda Herron, junior third baseman Emily Messer and freshman Haleigh Lowe each added a run apiece, as the Jaguars bounced back from a 2-1 loss to No. 3 Alabama in Mobile on Thursday.
 
"That was a great outing by Devin," said Jaguar head coach Becky Clark. "Our offense applied pressure every inning. We've talked about playing seven innings and playing every pitch. We were aggressive on the base paths. That's our formula: to get great pitching, timely hitting and get great pitching."
 
The Jaguars applied pressure immediately on Thursday, with Messer drawing a one-out walk in the first frame before stealing second and third to set up Pilkington for an RBI groundout to second, Messer running across to give South Alabama an early lead.
 
Brown struck out the Lady Flame side in the top of the second inning before the Jaguars loaded the bases in the bottom half. Senior outfielder Blair Johnson led off with a single and was pushed to second on senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith's sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Amanda Minahan, batting in the designated player position, drew a walk before Linn filled the bags on an infield single; however, Todd's groundout ended the threat.
 
Liberty went down in order again in the top of the third, two by way of Brown strikeouts, and South Alabama left two more on in the bottom of the third, Griffith going down swinging after Pilkington and Rathburn each singled.
 
Brown gave up her first hit of the contest in the top of the fourth inning when leadoff Kelly Allen singled up the middle but snagged a liner in foul territory and tagged Allen out at first for a double play before a groundout stuffed the Lady Flame opportunity.
 
South Alabama scratched four runs across in the bottom of the fourth, beginning with Messer's sacrifice fly to right field that scored Lowe, pinch-running for Herron, from third. Pilkington then drove in Linn, who singled before, and Rathburn double to deep left center to push across Todd and Pilkington, making it 7-0 Jaguars.
 
Brown hit a batter and then walked another, but Griffith made an over-the-shoulder grab in shallow left center for the second out in the top of the fifth, and Linn hauled in a floater to right center.
 
Facing two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Herron doubled, Linn singled and Todd drew a walk to load the bases, with Pilkington and Rathburn each drawing walks to add a pair of runs to USA's total, the 8-0 score enacting the mercy rule.
 
The Jaguars outhit Liberty, 10-1, in the contest, earning their first win over the Lady Flames in the teams' initial meeting.
 
Brown struck out six on the night to only one walk in five innings. She is the first Jaguar freshman to throw a one-hitter in her first collegiate start since senior Farish Beard did it in an 8-1 South Alabama victory over Southeastern Louisiana on March 17, 2012.
 
"It's a really surreal feeling," said Brown on her performance. "It's the best feeling in the world to be playing collegiate softball, especially on a team like this. I didn't feel any nerves, because of the way we practice. And the girls hit really well. It takes a lot of pressure off when the team hits as well as they did tonight."  
 
The Jaguars return to action on Saturday, facing Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. and McNeese State at 6 p.m. Links to live stats and radio broadcast via Jaguar All-Access, featuring play-by-play by Braden Cheek, can be found on the South Alabama softball schedule page shortly before first pitch. In-game Twitter updates are provided for each Jaguar softball via the program's official handle @USAJagsSoftball.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).