LAFAYETTE, La. - No. 6-seeded South Alabama scored twice in the fifth inning to edge No. 7-seeded Georgia Southern, 3-2, ending the Eagles' season in the first round of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championships on Wednesday afternoon at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La.
South Alabama (29-25) advances to face third-seeded Georgia State later Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles finish the 2018 season with a 28-25 overall record.
"It was a really hard-fought game," Georgia Southern Head Coach Kim Dean said. "We had a couple of people who really did a great job stepping up. Kierra [Camp] coming in when we really needed her in the circle, and we had some good hitting. We just came up a little bit short. I'm extremely proud of this team. The seniors left a legacy which will continue to push us in the right direction."
The Jaguars got on the board first thanks to a sequence in which pitcher Kaylee Ramos appeared to get an inning-ending 1-6-3 groundout, but was called for an illegal pitch. On the next pitch, Kamdyn Kvistad drove a two-out single up the middle, scoring Brittani Reid for the early 1-0 lead.
The Eagles tied things up in the top of the third inning when senior Alesha Mann singled with one out, then scored on an RBI double from All-Conference sophomore Mekhia Freeman.
South Alabama took the lead for good in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Reid and an RBI single from Kristian Foster.Â
Freshman Allyssah Mullis brought the Eagles back within one with a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, her ninth of the year and the 48th of the season for Georgia Southern. That ties the school's single-season home run record, set originally by the 2012 team.
Devin Brown (18-15) retired the final five batters in a row after the Mullis home run to secure the win for the Jaguars. She finished the game with a four-hitter, giving up two runs and one walk while striking out four.
Kierra Camp (12-10) took the loss for the Eagles, giving up three hits and two runs in five innings of relief, walking two while striking out five.
