ARLINGTON, Texas – No. 22 University of South Alabama softball defeated Texas-Arlington, 6-3 and 8-4, in a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader on Friday at Allan Saxe Field, which marks the third consecutive clinched league series for the Jaguars in as many weeks.
 
The Jaguars will look to sweep their third straight conference series in tomorrow's finale versus the Mavericks, which is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. A link to live stats can be found by accessing the softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
USA extends its league winning streak to nine games and moves to 8-2 on the year on the road. The game-two victory marked the program's 300^th, all under ninth-year head coach Becky Clark, who has steered the program to a 300-170-1 all-time record. Clark, currently in her 12^th year as a head coach after three seasons at the University of Mobile, owns a 456-203-2 all-time record.
 
On the milestone, Clark commented, "I've been very fortunate, since I've been here, to have coach and worked with great players and great people, so it's a program honor and one I'm very proud of."
 
Jaguar senior left fielder Blair Johnson batted 4-for-7 on Friday with three runs and two RBI, including a home run in game two, to lead USA at the plate. Classmate Amanda Herron was 3-for-6 with four RBI and two runs scored, including two home runs. Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith also hit a pair of homers, which extends the Centre, Ala., native's team-lead in the category to nine, two shy of tying the program's single-season record. Griffith moved into a tie for third in career homers on Friday, as she now owns 24 in her career.
 
USA sophomore catcher Chloe Rathburn supplied three RBI and scored a run on a pair of hits.
 
Jaguar senior Farish Beard (5-2; 1.47 ERA) picked up the win in game one after striking out a season-high-tying 12 batters to three walks, while allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits in a complete-game effort.
 
South Alabama freshman Kalen McGill (2.33 ERA) moved to 11-1 on the year after she threw 5 1/3 innings of shutout relief with four strikeouts and as many hits allowed.
 
"This was great way to start the series," Clark said of USA's Friday performance. "Even though we went down early in the first game, the kids came back really strong. We had good pitching today, we made some pretty athletic plays on defense and it's great to see us getting major contributions throughout the order. We're getting a lot of stuff from the bottom right now, and we're looking to come back and finish strong tomorrow."
 
GAME ONE – No. 22 South Alabama 6, Texas-Arlington 3
Texas-Arlington took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on right fielder Shelbi Sikes's two-out, two-run double to right field, which scored Britnea Barilli and Nina Villanueva after the pair reached on a Jaguar throwing error and walk, respectively.
 
USA answered with six run over the fourth and fifth frames, beginning with four runs in the former. Griffith led off the inning with a solo homer to left field, and freshman Haleigh Lowe singled to score Johnson, singled through the right side to even the score at 2-2. Herron then homered to center field to put the Jags ahead, 4-2.
 
Griffith and Johnson delivered back-to-back solo homers an inning later to put USA ahead, 6-2.
 
UTA catcher Kacey Everett led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo homer to right center, but Beard retired the final three Maverick batters in order to cap the Jaguar victory.
 
Griffith finished 2-for-4 in the contest with two RBI and two runs scored. Johnson also finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Lowe was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI. USA sophomore right fielder Amanda Minahan was 2-for-4.
 
USA outhit the Mavericks, 11-4, in the contest and took advantage of three UTA errors.
 
Sam Montes suffered the loss for UTA, falling to 11-9 on the year after allowing six runs (all earned) on 11 hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Kayla Donaldson threw 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief with a pair of strikeouts.
 
GAME TWO – No. 22 South Alabama 8, Texas-Arlington 4
USA jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning of game two, beginning with Rathburn's two-run single. Johnson supplied a two-out RBI base hit later in the inning.
 
Texas-Arlington went ahead, 4-3, in the bottom of the second when Barilli drew a bases-loaded walk, Villanueva drove in two with a single up the middle and Sikes struck out and reached on a passed ball, which allowed Barilli to come around.
 
The Jaguars then scored five unanswered to seal the come-from-behind, series-clinching win.
 
After Pilkington reached on a fielder's choice and stole second in the top of the third, the Lake City, Fla., native scored on Rathburn's two-out RBI single through the left side, which tied scoring at 4-4.
 
Herron's single in the top of the fifth inning scored Johnson, who got on with her own base hit, and Griffith, who drew a leadoff walk, to put the Jags ahead, 6-4.
 
Herron led off the top of the seventh with a solo shot to right field for the first of USA's two insurance runs in the final frame, followed by Pilkington's RBI double to left center, which plated freshman Kaleigh Todd, who pinch ran for classmate Kristian Foster after the latter doubled.
 
USA freshman Devin Brown got the start, but was replaced by McGill in the second inning after giving up four runs (all unearned) on a single hit with four walks and two strikeouts.
 
Taylor Simmonds took the loss for UTA, falling to 5-2 after allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks in five innings. Donaldson appeared in relief again in game two, giving up two runs (both earned) on three hits in a pair of relief frames.
 
Seven of USA's nine starters recorded a hit in the second game, as the Jaguars outhit the Mavericks, 9-5. Each team committed an error apiece.
 
Minahan has now reached safely in 10 straight contests, hitting safely in her last five. Herron, Griffith and Messer have each now reached safely in their last five games.
 
Griffith's pair of home runs in game one tied the school's single-game record, which marks the third time she's accomplished the feat this season and it was the second time in three games she'd done so after her couple versus Georgia State on March 28.
 
The Jaguars' 11 hits in game one marked the fourth consecutive contest in which the club recorded double-digits in the category, a first for the program across the span. It fell one shy of extending the streak to five games with nine hits in game two.
 
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).